Patrick Anderson

panderson@argusleader.com

Matt Flannery felt old.

The 39-year-old father from Elk Point was among an estimated 4,300 fans -- many of them too young to vote -- who lined up Thursday to see Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speak at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.

“It’s amazing the amount of people he draws,” said Flannery, who attended with his wife and son.

The Vermont senator's youth appeal was on display in the sea of people that included tattoos and green hair, beanies and piercings, plaid shirts and Chuck Taylors. Vendors hawked T-shirts and brightly colored buttons amid a rock concert atmosphere outside. Someone ordered a pizza at the front of the line.

It was the third stop of the day for the candidate, who held rallies in Pine Ridge and Rapid City earlier in the day.

Roosevelt High School senior Briggs Warren attended the Sioux Falls event with friends and said young people connect with the candidate's ideas, including free college tuition and allocating funding to decrease student loan.

The student credits Sanders with inspiring his bid for a Sioux Falls City Council seat this spring. Warren plans to attend the University of South Dakota in the fall.

“A lot of my debate team is here,” Warren said.

On stage, Sanders distanced himself from his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton by criticizing her reliance on so-called super PACs. He also attacked Donald Trump and boasted about his polling advantage over the Republican candidate.

“Let me tell you some good news, and that is Donald Trump is not going to become president of the United States," Sanders said.

Sanders has a chance to defeat Clinton in South Dakota's June 7 primary, but his odds of coming away with enough delegates nationally is looking increasingly unlikely.

Sanders started the night on the wrong foot, thanking the crowd from “Sioux City.” With help from the crowd, he quickly realized his mistake, joking that he “got half of it right.” Those in attendance were willing to forgive.

He told the crowd Thursday that his victory depends on stringing together wins in states including as South Dakota..

The senator praised young people multiple times during his speech.

“Young people understand that they are the future of this country,” Sanders said. “They want to help shape that future for the world in which we live in.”

He proposed free tuition as a way to improve the workforce and expand what he described as an outdated K-12 “concept” of public education. And he promised to help people already saddled with student loan debt to refinance at the lowest possible rates.

Sanders’ promises have captivated young people such as Hannah Fortin, 17, who wishes she could vote in South Dakota’s June 7 primaries, but can’t.

“I think he really speaks to my generation,” said the Roosevelt junior.

But the candidate’s words raised questions for Dana Sanderson.

The 65-year-old attended the rally with his daughter, a Sanders fan. He’s a Democrat, but he still doesn’t know how he’ll vote in the primaries.

Sanders’ ideas resonate, but it’s the application of those philosophies that Sanderson wonders about.

“My first question is how do you pay for this?” Sanderson said. “If somebody offers me free pie, I want it. But who’s going to pay for it?”

His daughter, Nicole Fette, likes the thought of removing some of the cost barriers that stand between kids and college. She teaches at Joe Foss alternative school in Sioux Falls.

“It’s hard for kids to think about education as an investment in themselves,” Fette said.

Fette also liked what she called Sanders’ “fundamental talking points” regarding wealth gaps in the United States.

Sanders disparaged billionaires multiple times during his speech, and called out a member of the Walmart-owning Walton family for donated to Clinton.

The economy is “rigged,” with the top one-tenth of 1 percent owning as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent of the U.S. population, Sanders said.

Sanders favors a $15 minimum wage for all, which he said matches what cities such as Seattle, New York and Los Angeles have approved in recent years.

“What the establishment always wants you to think is that real change is unattainable, is impossible,” Sanders said. “But what history has always shown is that when people stand up and fight back, there is nothing that can’t be accomplished.”