Bernie Sanders bucked poll results and conventional wisdom Saturday, decisively winning a majority of Democratic caucus delegates in staunchly conservative Kansas and handing Hillary Clinton another loss in the state.

Sanders collected 26,450 votes in Kansas, compared with 12,593 for Clinton. With the win, Sanders claims 23 of the state’s delegates, leaving Clinton with the other 10, according to the Kansas Democratic Party.

The liberal senator from Vermont and self-described democratic socialist won big in the college counties of Riley and Douglas, as expected, as well as in Topeka.

"People used to ask: ‘What’s the matter with Kansas,’" Sanders said in a statement. "It turns out that there’s nothing the matter with Kansas when you give people a clear choice and involve them in the democratic process."

Sanders was likely buoyed by a series of stops in and around the Sunflower State. On Feb. 24, he stopped in Kansas City, Mo., and criticized Gov. Sam Brownback.

On Thursday, he walked along Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, chatting with staff at 715 Restaurant and stopping for an impromptu haircut before speaking to a crowd of 4,200 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

On Saturday, he won Senate District 2 in Lawrence overwhelmingly, pulling in 82 percent of the 3,531 votes.

Clinton didn’t stop in Kansas but spoke at a convention of Hispanic activists in Kansas City, Mo., last July. Sanders and former candidate Martin O’Malley also spoke at the event, an annual conference for the National Council of La Raza.

What Clinton lacked in personal visits she tried to make up for in grassroots support, opening campaign offices in Wichita, Lawrence and Manhattan. She also had the endorsement of two former Kansas governors: John Carlin and Kathleen Sebelius.

Sanders and Clinton both recorded video messages to Kansas caucus attendees in the days before Saturday’s contest, playing to their respective bases within the party.

"We’ve made so much progress under President (Barack) Obama, and the person who walks into the Oval Office in January 2017 needs to build on that progress, not let it get ripped away," the pragmatic Clinton said. "Trying to start all over from scratch is a recipe for gridlock, not action, and our country can’t afford that."

The message was seemingly a reference to Sanders’ claim that his views and campaign strategy amount to a political revolution.

"I very much hope that you’ll come out and support the political revolution that we are waging," Sanders said in his video, "but even if you don’t, let’s come out and let’s have a large turnout."

At a Topeka West High School gymnasium, 1,573 Democrats spent hours chanting and caucusing for their respective candidate. Jeff Zamrzla, chairman of the Shawnee County Democratic Party, said turnout at Topeka West surpassed that of 2008, causing organizers to run out of the 1,500 wristbands they had on hand for the event. Zamrzla said 750 new Democrats were registered at the high school.

"You exceeded my expectations," he told the raucous crowd before announcing Sanders had won a majority of delegates at the caucus.

The Kansas Democratic Party announced 40,000 people participated in the caucuses statewide, a larger turnout than in 2008.

"I believe he stands for the American people," said Dorothy Bond, a Topeka supporter of Sanders at the Topeka West caucus.

On the other side of the gymnasium, Clinton supporters touted her pragmatism and ability to accomplish policy goals in the nation’s capital.

"She is the only candidate qualified for the job. Period," said Robin Rusco-Velez of Topeka.

In addition to Kansas, Sanders has also won three of its neighboring states: Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado. Missouri’s primary is March 15.

"Democrats in Kansas today added to a column of double-digit victories in Minnesota, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Hampshire and Vermont," Sanders said.

Only one poll of Kansans was taken prior to Saturday’s caucuses. Released Feb. 26 by Fort Hays State University, it found 44 percent of Democrats in the state were undecided. Thirty-three percent supported Clinton and 23 percent backed Sanders.

Despite Clinton’s lead in the poll, Kansans said Sanders was more likely to defeat prospective Republican nominees. For example, 43 percent of Kansans said they would support Sanders over businessman Donald Trump, compared with just 36 percent for Clinton.

Saturday’s loss for Clinton continues a series of defeats in the Sunflower State for the Democratic frontrunner.

In 2008, Clinton lost overwhelmingly to Barack Obama, garnering just 25 percent of the vote to Obama’s 74 percent. Obama earned 23 of the Kansas delegates at stake with Clinton collecting the remaining nine.

Kansans have a history of choosing eventual Democratic nominees, siding with Michael Dukakis in 1988, Bill Clinton in 1992, Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 before selecting Obama in 2008.

In general presidential elections, Kansas hasn’t supported a Democrat since 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson won Kansas and 43 other states in a landslide.