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A community-based grassroots group that is supporting Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders raised at least $62,000 in 24 hours.

The group Grassroots for Sanders is an online community of 65,000 people that was originally founded on Reddit.

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Before the moneybomb was launched, Aidan King, the founder of the Grassroots for Sanders movement, said, “We will be giving $15 dollars on July 15th to promote a 15-dollar minimum wage. We hoped to get enough people participating to make a real difference, and I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished today.”

Grassroots for Sanders exceeded expectations. Initial estimates are that they raised $62,000 in 24 hours. The average size of the donation was $20. Many people were donating through other methods, so it is possible that the final fundraising total will approach $75,000.

The fundraising for the Sanders campaign comes from individuals. The Senator from Vermont does not have super PAC or big corporate donors. The Sanders campaign is being funded by ordinary Americans. Sen. Sanders is building a movement to fight back against the big banks, corporations, and billionaires. Sanders has seen huge crowds turn out for him in red states and blue states alike.

The idea that ordinary Americans would come together to donate whatever they can afford to support a presidential candidate is what our representative democracy is supposed to be about. Unlike other candidates, especially those on the Republican side, Bernie Sanders isn’t waiting for a billionaire to write him a check.

Sanders is representing the agenda of small donors all across the country with a message of opportunity and economic populism that runs counter to the Citizens United infused Koch driven campaigns that dominate the political landscape.

Bernie Sanders is a throwback. He is a candidate who is being powered by the people. Whether one supports Sanders or not, this is what political campaigns are supposed to look like.

The presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders is good for the Democratic Party and even better for the nation’s democracy.