Doug Schneider and Shelby Le Duc

Green Bay (Wis.) Press-Gazette

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Calling Donald Trump a divider who wants to give hundreds of millions in tax cuts to the rich, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders urged voters in Green Bay Wednesday to support Democrat Hillary Clinton for president.

To repeated ovations, the Vermont senator told a crowd estimated at more than 600 that they need to support Clinton to ensure America's future.

"We are stronger when we stand together," Sanders said to cheers. "We should be proud of our diversity. It makes us a stronger people. Hillary Clinton wants to bring us together. Donald Trump wants to divide us up."

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Sanders stumped for Clinton, U.S. Senate Candidate Russ Feingold and congressional hopeful Tom Nelson at The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center on Lime Kiln Road.

The Green Bay appearance followed one in Madison where he appeared with Feingold and urged progressives to unite behind Feingold and Clinton. Feingold, is trying to regain the seat he lost six years ago to Republican Ron Johnson.

The appearance came as Democrats tried to bolster poll numbers that show the Clinton-Trump race as a statistical dead heat. A Marquette Law School Poll released two weeks ago, found 41% of likely Wisconsin voters supporting Clinton and 38% supporting Trump in a four-way race. Libertarian Gary Johnson had 11% and Green Party candidate Jill Stein had 2%.

Jorge Alberto Rodriguez, of Green Bay, a native of Mexico, was so excited after Wednesday's rally he listed his favorite things about Clinton and Sanders before a reporter could ask him a question.

"Bernie — he really cares about the middle-class family," he said. "And that's one thing that Hillary is going to keep working on."

Republicans accused Democrats of making a desperation move to prop up their candidates' numbers.

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Pat Garrett, spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said Sanders "is trying to throw Hillary Clinton a lifeline in Wisconsin," as polls have tightened to a statistical dead heat.

In an email to reporters, he added: "Tom Nelson’s attacks have either fallen flat, or have been proven false. Now he is getting desperate and relying on Hillary Clinton campaign events with surrogates from out of state to prop up his campaign, which only further proves that he’s self-interested and putting politics before the people of Wisconsin.”

Nelson, the executive in Outagamie County, is running against Republican Mike Gallagher in the 8th Congessional District.

Supporters of Clinton, though, said Sanders hit the right notes.

"We needed this pep rally," said Mike Hoffman, of Shiocton. "We need to energize people to get out the vote.”

Sanders' speech touched on the populist issues that propelled his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. He hammered on points about income disparities, the outsized influence of large campaign contributors in the wake of the Citizens United court decision, and the environment.

But he saved some of his strongest messages for the subject of jobs and pay issues.

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“We have got to raise the minimum wage to a living wage," he said, stabbing at the air for emphasis. "It is not a radical idea to suggest that anyone in this country who works 40 to 50 hours per week should not be living in poverty.”

“In the year 2016, women should not be earning 79 cents on the dollar," he added. "Hillary Clinton and I believe in equal pay for equal work.”

He also stressed his and Clinton's belief in making a college education available and affordable to lower- and middle-income students who are willing to work hard.

That was music to the ears of Appleton resident Courtney Koci.

"College is so expensive," said Koci, a nursing student at Bellin College in Bellevue. "I talked to my parents the other day crying, all like 'how I am going to pay off all this debt?' I think that’s really the focus for millennial voters.”

Opening speakers Wednesday included Nelson and state Rep Eric Genrich, D-Green Bay.

Nelson spoke of the impact on his neighborhood of the closing of the New Page paper mill in Kimberly. He also criticized Gallagher as a recent arrival in the district.

The renewed competitiveness of the race in Wisconsin has resulted in a flurry of campaign appearances by high-profile supporters of Clinton and Trump.

Trump was in Waukesha last week, and is expected to return to Wisconsin on Saturday. His son, Donald Trump Jr., campaigned for his father Wednesday in Wausau. Clinton's daughter, Chelsea Clinton, campaigned on behalf of her mother at an early voting rally in Green Bay last week.

Follow Doug Schneider and Shelby Le Duc on Twitter: @PGDougSchneider and @pgshelbyleduc