Bernie Sanders is holding a rally in Montpelier on Saturday, May 25, his first rally in the state since announcing his 2020 presidential bid on Feb. 19.

Sanders held his first campaign rallies in Brooklyn and Chicago on the weekend of March 2. He noted in a Tweet at the time that he had spent the first 19 years of his life in Brooklyn.

The rally in Montpelier is scheduled for 2 p.m. on the State House lawn at 115 State St. People can start gathering at 12:30 p.m. that Saturday, according to the Sanders campaign.

Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile will perform at the event. Carlile, who won three Grammy awards this year, is playing sold-out shows at Shelburne Museum on May 24 and 25.

Bernie Sanders' second run for president

Sanders is running second to former Vice President Joe Biden in recent polling for the Democratic nomination for president, according to RealClearPolitics. Biden is polling at 36 percent in the upcoming February 2020 primary in New Hampshire in a Monmouth University poll, and Sanders is trailing in second place at 18 percent.

The independent senator for Vermont launched his 2016 campaign for president in May 2015 with a big rally on the Burlington waterfront, but has yet to schedule a rally for Burlington this year.

The 2015 rally on Burlington's waterfront drew a crowd estimated at 5,500 people by the Burlington police. It was a hot and sunny afternoon, and people sought shade under trees and searched for a breeze on the rocks by the water and the grass north of the stage.

Supporters arrived by boat, bicycle, skateboard and foot to be part of the historic occasion.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield not only spoke at the rally, but also purchased 70 pounds of ice cream to give away. The line for ice cream was long, and scoopers took a break after 1,000 scoops were handed out to save more for later.

Sanders became the second Burlingtonian in 12 years to announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in his hometown, the other being Howard Dean in June 2003.

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT.

