Alison Dirr

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

EAU CLAIRE - Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders rallied an enthusiastic crowd here Saturday afternoon, urging them to join a "political revolution."

The Sanders rally took place a short distance from where opponent Hillary Clinton was preparing for a rally of her own.

Sanders took the stage at Zorn Arena about 12:15 p.m. to a raucous ovation from about 3,000 supporters and spoke for more than an hour. Many in the audience stood throughout, clapping and cheering as he discussed his platform and took shots at Clinton and Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

He immediately told the crowd not to listen to naysayers from the Clinton campaign who think he couldn't win in a general election.

“Let me tell you that the last CNN poll had us 20 points ahead,” he said.

He urged people to get out the vote Tuesday in Wisconsin's primary because a high voter turnout will bode well for his campaign.

"If there is a large voter turnout, we will win on Tuesday," he said, adding, "Let's have the largest voter turnout in Wisconsin primary history.

"Let the world know that Wisconsin is prepared to go forward with a political revolution."

His speech touched on issues ranging from mental health to the militarization of police to the war in Iraq and the disparities between the rich and the poor in the U.S.

“You guys ready for a radical idea?” he asked the crowd. “Together we are going to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent."

Crowds began forming outside Zorn Arena on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus early this morning in anticipation of the campaign stop by the Vermont senator who has galvanized young voters in his bid for the White House. A Clinton rally, meanwhile, was taking place a short time later at the nearby Lismore Hotel in the city's downtown.

Sanders said people are taking notice of his campaign because of the message.

"We're doing something unusual in American politics," he said. "We're telling the truth."

Eau Claire Memorial High School senior Madeline Strasburg, 17, of came with a group of friends and was near the front as people packed toward the podium before Sanders' arrival.

"I think Bernie is the most legitimate candidate we've had in a really long time," she said.

It's "so important that he's not being bought out" and that he has stuck by his beliefs for so long, she said.

Strasburg, attending her second Sanders rally, said the most important issue for her is equality for people disenfranchised by the system.

"To hear his stances gets me so fired up," she said.

Nearby, Keegan Kline, 19, of Eau Claire said she is drawn to Sanders in part because he focuses on all people instead of just the upper class. Human rights, she said, is a key issue for her.

He has "an untainted view of how people should be treated," she said.

Sanders drew big applause when he said better access to mental health was needed, calling addiction a huge mental health issue that needs to be addressed.

"We need a revolution in this country in terms of how we deal with mental health treatment," he said.

The line to get into the Sanders event was snaking down the block by 8 a.m., about two hours before doors were set to open. A return of winter arrived at the same time, covering the crowd with snow as many of them wrapped themselves in blankets.

"I like that he doesn't cater to large corporations," said Rachel Lavender, 20, of Galesville, huddling close to friends. "... He is not a racist or a sexist so that's always good."

Her friend, Karlie Korish, 18, of Portage was excited to see and hear Sanders herself.

"I'm a Bernie girl definitely but I admire Hillary and how she has pushed through a man's world," Korish said.

Trump also will be in Eau Claire Saturday, holding a 7 p.m. rally at Eau Claire Memorial High School.

The frenzy comes ahead of Tuesday's hotly contested Wisconsin primary.

"On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders is trying to make this a turning point for his campaign, where pulling off a victory in a competitive swing state in the Midwest would have a lot of symbolic value and give him some energy going into the New York primary and others that are coming down the pike," said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Barry Burden. "Clinton is obviously trying to hold him off but she's doing that while trying to look ahead to Pennsylvania, New York and other places. So it's a really serious race on the Democratic side."

Alison Dirr: 920-996-7266 or adirr@gannett.com; on Twitter @AlisonDirr