Amanda Purcell and John W. Barry

Poughkeepsie Journal

After slamming his opponents, praising President Franklin D. Roosevelt and speaking on a range of topics, from the minimum wage to the environment, Democraticpresidential candidate Bernie Sanders at Marist College Tuesday night implored thousands who turned out for a rally to get out and vote in New York's April 19 primary.

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"What I have learned in this campaign is that, when there is a large voter turnout we win," Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, said to the crowd inside Marist's James J. McCann Recreation Center. "When there is a low voter turnout, we lose. Next Tuesday, let's see the largest voter turnout New York State has ever seen."

The crowd roared.

Sanders spoke at Marist College in the Town of Poughkeepsie as he gears up to face his Democratic opponent, former first lady, secretary of state and U.S. senator Hillary Clinton in next Tuesday's Democratic primary. Sanders was introduced at the rally by supporter Michael Stipe, former frontman of the band R.E.M.

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The stop Sanders made at Marist was the first visit to Dutchess by a candidate running in the 2016 presidential election. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is scheduled to appear at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie Sunday.

READ MORE: Trump to hold rally at Mid-Hudson Civic Center Sunday

Democratic and Republican candidates continue to crisscross the state ahead of next week's primary. Sanders' campaign stop in Dutchess was the first presidential campaign to stop here in several elections.

Prior to the rally, Sanders paid a visit to sites in Hyde Park that honor the office he hopes to hold.

Sanders visited the grounds of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and the Home of FDR National Historic Site. According to Cliff Laube, spokesman for the library, Sanders stopped by the Rose Garden gravesite where FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt are buried; and he took in the view of the Hudson River from the Roosevelt home.

FDR, the nation's 32nd president, was a Hyde Park native.

During his speech, Sanders mentioned FDR repeatedly.

"In my view, FDR was one of the greatest presidents," Sanders said. "He was a great president because he came into office in 1933 in a nation which was experiencing the worst depression in the history of our country and he looked around him and he saw millions of people unemployed and hungry.

"He saw farmers losing their farms. He saw people struggling every single day to get the health care they needed or education for their kids. And he came forward and he said, 'You know what, we are going to transform the way government works in America'. And that is what he did."

The crowd, which roared repeatedly during the speech, booed when Sanders mentioned Clinton.

Speaking of the candidate who hopes to become the first woman president, Sanders said, "The American people are catching on to the fact that you cannot take millions of dollars from the wealthiest and most powerful in this country and then claim to be an agent of change."

Sanders prompted the loudest cheers of the evening when he said Trump insults women.

"Donald Trump will not become president of the United States," Sanders said. "The American people will not support a candidate who insults Mexicans and Latinos; who insults Muslims; who insults women; who insults veterans; who insults the African-American community."

Sanders told the crowd that the election is not just about electing a president, "It's about transforming America."

He also spoke about the U.S. labor force.

"Our people are working the longest hours of any people in the industrialized world," he said. "The Japanese are hard workers. We now work more hours than the people of Japan. We have to fight for a nation where people earn enough income without working 50, 60, 70 hours a week."

Sanders also spoke about:

- Gay marriage: "Gay marriage was made legal by a very conservative Supreme Court because the American people told them that was the right thing to do."

- Minimum wage: "When people stand up and fight back, change can and does happen."

- Social Security: "We're not going to cut Social Security, we're going to expand Social Security."

- Education: "This campaign is listening to young people. And what young people are saying is, ‘How does it happen when we did things right, we went out and got the best education we could, that we’re ending up $30,000, $50,000, $70,000 in debt?

“If you take a deep breath and you think outside the box, ask yourself, why would we be punishing millions of people for getting an education? We should be rewarding people, not punishing them...We need to make public colleges and universities free.

"Some people think this is a radical idea. It is not a radical idea. Mark my words, it will happen sooner or later. Our job is to make it sooner."

- Law enforcement: "This campaign is listening to the African-American community. And what they are telling us is, we have a broken criminal justice system that must be reformed. They are tired, I am tired, you are tired of seeing unarmed people shot and killed."

- The environment: "Climate change is real. We have a moral responsibility to make certain the planet we leave to our children and grandchildren is healthy and habitable and that is why we will take on the fossil fuel industry. We will transform our energy system away from fossil fuel to efficient and sustainable energy."

After arriving at Marist but prior to addressing the rally, Sanders paid a visit to supporters in an overflow room at the McCann Center.

The parking lot adjacent to the McCann Center filled up quickly throughout the early morning. At about 3:50 p.m., those who had been waiting in a very long line began entering the venue. Earlier in the day, some who assembled on the Marist campus performed live music, while others engaged in political chants.

Town of Poughkeepsie resident Michael Raguso, whose two daughters wore homemade Sanders shirts, said he's voting for Sanders because he wants a better life for his children.

Tom Lamoree, 42, of Hyde Park, was one of the first people in line waiting to enter the McCann Center. Lamoree said he has been working independently to get people to switch enrollment from Independent to Democrat so they can vote for Sanders in the primary.

"Many people just don't understand the (voting) process," Lamoree said. "I'm trying to educate them."

City of Poughkeepsie resident Darrett Roberts, 58, was excited to attend the rally. He said he's been campaigning hard for Sanders.

"I've been walking for him, going all over the place sharing his information, his ideas," Roberts said of Sanders. "He's a man of the people, not a corporation person."

Issues that are important to Roberts include campaign reform, a free education for college students and "stopping mass incarceration of our youth."

READ MORE: Marist Poll: Clinton, Trump still lead in New York

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The stop Sanders made at Marist followed an invitation from the county's top elected official

"Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro recently sent an invitation to all presidential candidates to visit Dutchess ahead of New York's presidential primary on April 19," said Greg Cannon, chief public affairs officer for Marist. "County Executive Molinaro asked — and the college agreed — to have Marist serve as a potential venue for any debate for any current candidates."

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The Sanders campaign responded soon after to Molinaro's offer, Cannon said.

Sanders made his first trips north of New York City Monday. He attended a town hall-style meeting in Binghamton and rallies in Albany and the Buffalo area. Before stopping in Poughkeepsie Tuesday, Sanders attended events in Rochester and Syracuse.

READ MORE: Live coverage of Bernie Sanders in Rochester

Clinton also has crossed the state, holding events last week in New York City, Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and Westchester County. On the Republican side, Trump, Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Ted Cruz have been hitting events around New York.

READ MORE: The New York primary: Why it matters and how it works

READ MORE: Editorial: New York voters get chance to shine in primaries

Clinton holds a double-digit lead in New York, according to recent polls. Pennsylvania — along with Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Rhode Island — holds its primary on April 26.

With each Democratic candidate needing 2,383 delegated to win the nomination, both candidates are seeking to win New York's 291 delegates.

Journal reporter Abbott Brant contributed to this report. Amanda Purcell: apurcell@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4807; Twitter: @amandajpurcell