ANN ARBOR, MI -- Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders visited the University of Michigan two days before the primary election to motivate his younger followers to show their support at the ballot box.

Sanders’ campaign kept a focus on engaging young voters and people of color in Democratic-voting areas in the last days before his Tuesday, March 10 matchup against former Vice President Joe Biden. Sanders, who won Michigan’s 2016 primary, scheduled a series of rallies and campaign events in Detroit, Dearborn, Flint, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor.

“If you get your friends involved in the political process, there is no stopping us,” Sanders said, later adding that supporters should tell their friends to “stop complaining and fight back.”

Sanders addressed a sea of supporters -- the campaign estimated 10,000 attended -- crowded together in the Diag at the University of Michigan Sunday. Sanders emphasized the importance of voting to the largely college-age audience and briefly attacked Biden, saying his Democratic rival is less motivated to deliver real change for working Americans.

“We are taking on not just Joe Biden, we’re taking on the 60 billionaires who are funding his campaign," Sanders said. "We’re taking on the Wall Street executives who are helping to fund his campaign. We’re taking on the corporate establishment. We’re taking on the political establishment.”

Sanders preceded on stage by freshman U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and was joined by The Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr. at a rally in Grand Rapids earlier that day. Sanders highlighted the connected goals of activists in both generations.

.@AOC gets a huge reception here at @BernieSanders rally in Ann Arbor. pic.twitter.com/wYHcha1RLo — Malachi Barrett (@PolarBarrett) March 8, 2020

The Vermont senator said the idea that America would have a black president or legalized gay marriage was considered impossible when Jackson was in is youth. Likewise, Sanders said the modern calls for universal health care, free college and climate action are limited by the imagination of citizens.

“Everything seems impossible until it is done,” Sanders said.

Ocasio-Cortez, who received a huge reception at U-M, compared Sanders’ campaign with Jackson’s 1988 presidential bid, saying “powerful conservative” elements of the Democratic Party moved to undermine Jackson’s candidacy. Sanders endorsed Jackson after the civil rights leader won Michigan’s caucus.

Several attendees at the rally told MLive one of the top reasons they support Sanders is his promise to cancel student debt and offer free tuition at public universities. Sanders proposes imposing a tax on Wall Street speculation to raise $2.4 trillion over the next day to pay for it.

Inayah Amir Bey, 18, is concerned about being saddled with thousands of dollars of debt. She’s pursuing a film degree at Central Michigan University.

“I don’t want to be poor for the rest of my life," she said.

Adrian residents Oliverio and Rosalinda Garza said they have two sons who are still paying off their student loans 10 years after graduating from college. Oliverio, 72, said he feels that Sanders is trying to take a burden off the shoulders of young working people.

“I think Bernie speaks from the heart,” he said. “I like his ideas, the way he expresses himself. I like the idea of taking on big corporations and pharmaceutical companies.”

Elike Hillebrand, a 19-year-old Eastern Michigan University student, said first-time voters are motivated by Sanders’ calls for systematic change. She considered supporting U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., for the same reason, but ultimately sided with Sanders before Warren dropped out of the race last week.

Ocasio-Cortez told the audience in Ann Arbor that the 2020 election is a “David versus Goliath” struggle, pitting working people against the “powerful forces” of corporate interests. Ocasio-Cortez encouraged supporters to build connections in their community.

“All of us need to go to the polls and bring five people with us on Tuesday,” she said.

Each of the speakers, including 2018 gubernatorial candidate Abdu El-Sayed, on the importance of voting.

Sanders won Michigan’s 2016 primary by 1.4 percentage points, surprising pundits and supporters of Hillary Clinton. Sanders won by a narrow margin but enjoyed stronger support in Ann Arbor, winning the surrounding Washtenaw County by nearly 12 percentage points.

Hunter Wiand, 24, identifies as a socialist and volunteered to support Sanders’ campaign in Michigan and other states. The Ann Arbor resident said Sanders represents the best chance of putting a socialist in the White House and doesn’t believe Sanders’ free college and universal healthcare policies are asking for too much.

“That’s what I’d say to a Biden supporter: It’s about what kind of world do you want to live in,” he said. “It’s not a revolution necessarily, it’s about making the United States a more human place to live in.”

Jacob Dunckel, 20, expects the primary election will be determined by whether young people get out to vote. Events like the Sunday rally in Ann Arbor help energize supporters and reinforce the importance of voting, he said.

“Bernie is coming here hitting all these huge places in the state,” Dunckel said. “Biden hasn’t even been here. He’s been sending other people.”

Biden isn’t scheduled to step foot in Michigan until the day before the primary. The former vice president dispatched a series of surrogates across the state in his place, including former presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar and 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry.

Sanders and Biden are turning their focus to Michigan with only a few days left to sway voters before the primary. Biden holds a narrow lead in the delegate count after winning a majority of states on Super Tuesday last week.

Both campaigns are jetting across Michigan to sway undecided voters in the final days of the election, planning a flurry of rallies and smaller events throughout the weekend.

The former vice president is scheduled to hold two rallies in Grand Rapids and Detroit Monday, the day before Michigan’s primary. U.S. Rep. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., announced she will join Biden in Michigan after offering her endorsement this weekend.

Becca Galler, 21, said growing up with Trump in the White House will motivate young voters to support whoever becomes the Democratic nominee.

“We’re absolutely done with him," Galler said. "Even if Biden is the choice that we have, we’re going to do whatever we can to not have Donald Trump in office.”

Sanders also said he would legalize marijuana by executive order. The rally was coincidentally held at the same site as the annual pro-marijuana “hash bash” festival.

State Reps. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, and Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, delivered fiery speeches framing Sanders as the only candidate trying to improve conditions for the average American.

“Normal is actually not good enough," Rabhi said. "We can do better in America. When things were normal, innocent families were still being deported ... black babies were still getting shot. Climate change was plugging ahead. We can’t afford normal.”

One of the main divisions between Sanders and Biden is their vision for health care. Biden would prefer to expand on the Affordable Care Act, while Sanders is pushing to replace private health plans with government-run health insurance.

John Henderson, 34, said he’s more than happy to lose his employer-based health insurance and transition to Medicare for All.

“Private health care is supposed to be awesome," Henderson said. "I can barely afford it and I have a great health care plan. I would love to lose it.”

Henderson, who identified as an independent, brought his daughters to the Ann Arbor rally. He said Biden is “too status quo" and isn’t willing to make big changes to improve conditions for the next generation.

“I don’t get excited about someone who is not going to change anything," Henderson said. “Bernie is going to change something that’s going to be better for my kids.”

Read more on MLive:

A complete guide: How to see Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders campaign events in Michigan this weekend and Monday

Biden and Sanders compete for black votes ahead of Michigan Democratic presidential primary

The big question for Michigan Democrats: Is Biden or Sanders more likely to beat Trump?

Bernie Sanders says Joe Biden can’t take on Trump at Detroit rally before Michigan primary

Kamala Harris to campaign with Biden on Monday in Detroit

Bernie Sanders talks Flint water crisis, recovery at town hall meeting

Joe Biden has Michigan Democrats ‘fired up,’ Amy Klobuchar says in Detroit area

Gretchen Whitmer to give Michigan a voice in Joe Biden campaign strategy