Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says 9,500 people plan to attend his rally tonight in Madison, Wis.

The Vermont senator says he will draw on the state's long progressive political history during the event. Sanders says he believes the progressive movement that existed for years in Wisconsin is now spreading throughout the country.

Sanders’s visit comes just a couple weeks before Republican Governor Scott Walker is expected to launch his campaign for president. Sanders says he is strongly opposed to Walker's agenda and the country needs new leadership that expands opportunities for working families and strengthens trade unions.