TRIBUNE CAPITOL BUREAU

A group of Bernie Sanders supporters will be hosting a statewide training session and rally Saturday in Butte.

The event is in support of the Vermont Democratic senator’s presidential campaign’s commitment to allow every voter in America to have a say in the direction of the Democratic presidential primary.

Amanda Curtis of Butte and Margot Kidder of Livingston said the training is to introduce Sanders supporters from around the state to the campaign’s goals, provide an orientation on how to be a state and national delegate and give supporters an opportunity to participate in a neighborhood canvass in Butte.

The event will start at 11 a.m. in the upstairs meeting room of the Grand Hotel at 124 W. Broadway and conclude with an uptown rally and a “Have a Beer for Bernie” at the Silver Dollar Saloon.

Nearly 100 supporters, including students from around the state and representatives from the state’s tribal communities, are expected to attend and help kick off the Sanders campaign in Montana. To register, go to map.berniesanders.com, and use Butte ZIP code 59701, or http://bit.ly/1rrWC34.

Curtis said Sanders’ message could not be more timely.

“As Senator Sanders has pointed out, the nation’s middle class is in decline and there is a growing gap between the very rich and the rest of America,” Curtis said. “We see it all around us in Montana.”

Curtis, a former state representative and candidate for U.S. Senate, said the supporters will be knocking on more than 1,000 doors and taking Bernie Sanders’ message to the people of Butte before the June 7 primary.

Kidder said Butte was a more-than-appropriate place to have the training.

“Since the days of the Copper Kings, Butte has been at the forefront of the struggle for the rights of Montana workers,” Kidder added, “and the state has played a leading national role in the fight to keep big money out of politics. We are confident the Sanders message will be well received in Butte and will resonate throughout the state.”