After delivering remarks, Sanders and his wife, Jane, joined the musicians onstage for a sing-along of “This Land Is Your Land.”

Speaking bluntly about a contest with Hillary Clinton that polls have shown to be very close, Sanders said he needs students and people who don’t typically participate to show up.

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“If there is a large voter turnout, we will win,” Sanders told a crowd estimated at 3,800 people. “If there is a low voter turnout, if a lot of people don’t show up, we will lose.”

Sanders said the pundits don’t believe young voters will come to caucus in large numbers.

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“How would you like to make the pundits look dumb on election night?” Sanders asked.

He also encouraged students, who accounted for the majority of the crowd, to bring friends with them to their caucus site.

“I know that many of your friends say, 'Wow, you went to a political meeting, that’s pretty lame,' ” Sanders said, suggesting that they tell their friends they shouldn’t “allow somebody to else to make important decisions for your life.”

A poll released Saturday night by the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics showed Clinton with a narrow edge over Sanders among likely caucus-goers, 45 percent to 42 percent.