opinion

Editorial: This Bernie thing might be catching on

Vermont's Bernie Sanders is the political phenomenon of the moment and that speaks to hunger among a large number of Americans for blunt talk on the working-class issues of social and economic inequality.

On Thursday, the Sanders campaign reported raising $15 million since its April 30 launch, more than anyone except former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

On Wednesday, 10,000 people filled the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin, for a Sanders rally, the largest turnout for any presidential candidate this cycle.

Sen. Sanders, an independent presidential aspirant seeking the Democratic nomination, is rising in the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, the two states that have first say on the candidate field.

The money, the turnout and poll numbers give Sanders increased credibility as a challenger to Clinton, generally treated as the presumptive nominee with only token opposition.

The man who identifies himself as a European-style social democrat is already having an impact on the political debate, pushing issues such as too-big-to-fail banks, the wealth gap and marriage equality to more prominent places on the Democratic campaign trail.

Clinton remains solidly in the lead, but Sanders has momentum.

Sanders fundraising has topped pundits' forecasts by a wide margin. The Vermont senator tapped 250,000 people for 400,000 contributions, 99 percent of them for $250 or less. The average donation was $33.51.

The campaign's focus on garnering small contributions from as many people as possible, makes the point that the candidate is unbeholden to big money while helping to build his grassroots network.

In Iowa, a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday shows Clinton's lead over Sanders narrowing to 52 percent to 33 percent from 60 percent to 15 percent in early May.

In New Hampshire, the race is even closer, where Clinton's lead over Sanders has dwindled to 8 percentage points — 43 percent to 35 percent — according to a CNN/WMUR New Hampshire Primary poll released June 25.

A Granite State Poll released in May showed Clinton with 51 percent, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., with 20 percent and Sanders with 13 percent.

Clinton remains solidly in first place in both states, and the Iowa caucus is still 7 months away, long enough for any candidate to break through or melt away. But current trend indicates time may favor Sanders as he seeks to spread his message to those unfamiliar with the candidate from Vermont.

Rich Clark, director of the Castleton Polling Institute, told the Free Press that Sanders is likely to improve his image as voters get to know him. "I think that the more people are familiar with him the better he is going to come off."

Join the conversation online at BurlingtonFreePress.com or send a letter to the editor to letters@freepressmedia.com. Contact Aki Soga at asoga@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @asoga.