Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders brought his message of economic populism to the Moda Center Friday afternoon, where a crowd of about 11,500 supporters enthusiastically cheered policy pronouncements most had probably heard before.

The event comes one day before Washington's caucuses, where Sanders and his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, are locked in a close race.

If Sanders was looking for any additional symbolism to boost his bid for the White House, he may have gotten it when a small bird flew out of the rafters and alit on the lectern directly in front of him.

"I think there may be some symbolism here," said Sanders, not seeming to mind that the bird interrupted his call for free college and university tuition. "I know it doesn't look like it, but that bird is actually a dove asking for world peace."

Sanders, as he has in rallies across the country in past months, took on Wall Street billionaires, big oil companies and Citizens United, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to massive spending on political campaigns.

But he also spent several minutes talking about Donald Trump, and why the Republican front-runner should not be elected president.

"But here's the good news," Sanders said. "Donald Trump is not going to become president of the United States. The reason for that is that the American people are far too smart to let that happen."

Unlike recent Trump rallies, where fights and confrontations have broken out between his backers and protesters, there were no shouts of protest against anything Sanders had to say.

To the contrary, his statements about health care ("In my view, it is a right of all people, not a privilege"), immigration reform ("It's about uniting families, not dividing families") and a higher minimum wage ("If you work 40 hours a week in America, you should not live in poverty") elicited loud cheers.

Sanders also seemed to step up his criticism of Clinton, who has yet to campaign publicly in Oregon, which holds its primary May 17.

Bernie Sanders holds rally at the Moda Center in Portland 59 Gallery: Bernie Sanders holds rally at the Moda Center in Portland

He blasted her for supporting the 2002 congressional vote authorizing the war in Iraq and again asked why she has so far failed to release the transcripts of speeches she's given to Wall Street-based companies.

Those speeches "really must have been something," Sanders said, in order for Clinton to collect the $225,000 fee per speech he's previously cited.

"That must have been a speech that will resolve all of the world's conflicts," he said sarcastically. "Must be a speech written in Shakespearean prose. And it must be a speech that she must share with the world."

Sanders trails Clinton in the numbers of delegates pledged to the respective candidates, but he made it clear that, with primaries in southern states now behind him, he expects to do much better across the west, particularly the Pacific Northwest.

"It's my hope and belief that both Washington and Oregon," said Sanders, "are preparing to lead this country in a political revolution."

Nearly an hour before Sanders took the stage, chants of "Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!" broke out sporadically, momentarily drowning out the loud rock music piped in over the Moda Center's speakers.

Groups of people seated above the floor traded pro-Sanders slogans with those standing below, creating the feel of a raucous high-school pep rally.

Before the rally, thousands waited for hours in a light drizzle outside the Moda Center to ensure snagging a seat for the free but coveted event.

Kendyl Sandersen, 21, of Portland, described herself as "middle-of-the-road" when it comes to politics. In Sanders, however, she said she's found an "honest" candidate who will help the country's middle class.

"I'm not typically for either Democrats or Republicans," Sandersen said. "But Bernie just strikes me as different from the rest of the pack. It was an easy decision to come out today to hear him talk."

Nick Bard, a Portland State University graduate, echoed the same sentiment.

"More than anyone else, Bernie stands up for the working class in this country," said Bard, 24. "And he's also willing to stand up for Palestinian human rights, which is something I really like."

Mack Faamausili, a self-professed Trump supporter, said he would vote for Sanders if Trump wasn't running for president.

"It's all about economic nationalism at this point and Trump is the only candidate who really gets that," said Faamausili, 43, of Portland. "But I was just talking with a lot of Bernie supporters for about 45 minutes and we got along great. To me, Bernie and Trump are mirror images of each other."

Immediately after the rally, Sanders heads north for an appearance at Safeco Field.

Hillary Clinton hasn't made a public appearance in Oregon during her campaign, but she did attend a private fundraiser in Portland's exclusive Dunthorpe neighborhood in August. Bill Clinton did stump for his wife in Vancouver on Monday and showed up briefly at Powell's City of Books in Portland.

Sanders last Oregon appearance came in August, when he filled the 19,000-seat Moda Center. Thousands more listened on loudspeakers outside the venue.

-- Dana Tims

503-294-7647; @DanaTims