Advertisement Thousands rally for Bernie Sanders in Sacramento Candidate to also greet supporters in Stockton Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Thousands of supporters for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders gathered in warm sunshine at Cal Expo on Monday for a campaign swing that could be pivotal, with the California presidential primary now just four weeks way.Sanders supporters said their movement is about changing politics as we know it."You got to fight to the end," said Kathy Dennis, a member of the National Nurses Union."And Bernie's creating a bigger movement than just a nomination for the presidency," she added. "People are becoming active -- feeling like maybe they can change the political climate of this country."It's not often that presidential candidates visit Sacramento for campaign rallies. John Kennedy visited by train in 1960 and Bill Clinton held a rally in 1992; the same year that third-party candidate Ross Perot campaigned at the Capitol. Republican nominee John McCain swung through Sacramento in 2008.So why is Bernie Sanders here now?Political analyst Laurel Rosenhall of CALmatters said Sanders picked Sacramento and Stockton for strategic reasons."It's not surprising that he's coming here, where he can tap into homeowners that may feel frustrated -- who have experienced foreclosure and had to short sell their homes,” Rosenhall said. “And my guess is that he's probably trying to tap into that populist feeling of economic insecurity and anger at the banks.”But Sanders is also looking to the inside game and meeting with Alexandra Rooker, an uncommitted superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention.Rooker, first vice-chair of the California Democratic Party, said, "Hillary has not reached out to me personally but Bernie has, and there's no reason for me to say no -- I would like to speak to him and see what he has to say.”Rooker is also being courted by supporters of Hillary Clinton and had initially pledged to support her."I've gotten some very emotional phone calls,” she said. “I get e-mails all the time. I've gotten a few pro-Hillary -- but mostly Bernie folks."Rooker said Sanders supporters wanted to thank her for remaining uncommitted and "for respecting the process and waiting until the June primary."Campaign rallies also attract television cameras and as KCRA 3 political analyst Steve Swatt noted:"The name of the game is to get on television where as many people will see you as possible. And so, if you don't have enough money to buy your way on TV with ads -- which are very expensive -- you get what's called earned media."Sanders is expected to speak to his supporters around 8 p.m. on Monday, before heading to Stockton for another rally on Tuesday morning.