Arizona Republic

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders returns to Phoenix on Thursday for a campaign rally with his supporters at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, his first campaign visit to Arizona this election cycle.

We will have updates throughout the day about Sanders' visit to Phoenix.

9 p.m. Nazi flag video surfaces

Photos and a videos of a man displaying a Nazi flag in the rafters of the coliseum shortly after Sanders took the stage surfaced on Twitter after the rally concluded.

The flag was quickly removed during the rally.

It's unclear whether Sanders, who is Jewish, saw the flag.

But early in his speech, Sanders did witness some kind of disturbance in the crowd, saying, "Whoever it was I think they're a little outnumbered tonight, and more importantly they're going to be outnumbered in November."

— Jessica Boehm

8:45 p.m. Small group of protesters

A small group of about a dozen people in the designated free speech zone held up Trump flags and heckled people leaving the rally.

They yelled "four more years" and "loving these liberal tears" and poked fun at nearby drivers moving slowly, but no one seemed to take the bait.

— Perry Vandell

8:15 p.m. UA fact check

In advocating for criminal justice reform, Sanders said it "costs more money to lock somebody up in a prison than to send them to the University of Arizona."

He's half-right: University of Arizona tuition during the 2018-2019 school year cost $12,500 for in-state students, according to the school.

That's significantly less than the roughly $25,000 it costs to incarcerate someone in Arizona for one year.

But tuition for out-of-state students that year cost $36,600.

— Maria Polletta

8:05 p.m. Speech ends with pitch to voters

Sanders wrapped up his speech by reminding his supporters how important their votes will be on March 17 during the presidential preference election.

He asked them not only for their vote, but to be an ambassador for him with their friends and family members.

"Let's win in Arizona, let's win the nomination," Sanders said. "Let us defeat Donald Trump, let us transform this country."

"Takin' It to the Streets" by The Doobie Brothers played as Sanders left the stage.

8 p.m. Health care fact check

Sanders, who focused heavily on the United States health care system in his remarks, said the U.S. spends twice as much per person on health care as any other country. He also said 87 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured.

Health care costs are indeed higher in the United States than in other developed countries: The U.S. spent nearly $11,000 per person in 2018, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. However, Switzerland spent about $7,300 per capita on health care that same year, meaning the U.S. did not spend twice as much.

Sanders' other statement was more accurate. Of the 194 million adults ages 19 to 64 in the U.S. in 2018, an estimated 87 million were "inadequately insured," according to the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit health policy research foundation.

— Maria Polletta

7:45 p.m. Coronavirus pitch for universal health care

Sanders quickly pivoted to one of the focal points of his campaign: Universal health care.

He used the new coronavirus as an example as to why access to health care is important.

USA Today reported Thursday that more than 95,700 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide across more than 60 countries, and more than 3,200 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Two cases have been reported in Arizona, but no one has died.

Sanders criticized the United States' current health care system, saying that people who may have coronavirus may not be able to get treatment because they can't afford it.

"Health care is a human right," Sanders said. "And everyone in this country including the undocumented have a right to our health care."

Ruth Whitehouse, of Sierra Vista, told The Arizona Republic over Twitter message Thursday that her family wanted to attend Sanders' rally but ultimately decided to stay home because of the coronavirus.

"I can’t speak for others, but I think there’s a good chance that a lot of others have reached similar conclusions," she said. "In my family’s case, we decided not to attend because we have no way of assessing how far and wide the virus has spread."

She said she believes her family wouldn't have to be as cautious as they are if the government was "more transparent and responsible in its (coronavirus) handling so far." She added that she believed there was a "lack of data problem" as opposed to a "big scary outbreak problem."

"Funny enough, this whole situation ends up being just another great reason to support Bernie Sanders and Medicare for All!" she added.

Whitehouse, her husband and 23-year-old son are all Sanders supporters and said they planned to watch the rally from home, she said.

— Chelsea Curtis and Jessica Boehm

7:35 p.m. Talk turns to Democrats

Elizabeth Warren, the presidential candidate closest aligned with Sanders, dropped out of the race on Thursday.

Sanders courted her potential endorsement during his speech in Phoenix.

He complimented her for running a "strong, issues-based campaign." He then welcomed her supporters to join his campaign.

"I think they will find many of the issues Senator Warren campaigned on are exactly the issues we are fighting for," Sanders said.

Sanders then turned to Joe Biden, which elicited boos from the crowd.

Sanders encouraged them not to speak out against Biden. He called him a "decent man" and said he knows Biden will support him if he is the nominee. Sanders said that he would also support Biden if he is the nominee.

"Our differences are minimal compared with the differences we have with Trump," Sanders said.

However, Sanders said with only two people left in the Democratic race, it is now easier to see the differences between Biden and Sanders.

He proceeded to list some of what he believes were bad votes by Biden, including the decision to invade Iraq and Wall Street "bailouts" during the Great Recession.

— Jessica Boehm

7:25 p.m. Attacks on Trump

Sanders opened his speech by taking shots at the man he hopes to face in November.

Sanders called Trump a fraud and pathological liar.

"We are going to defeat Donald Trump because we are the strongest campaign to do it," Sanders said.

He said his campaign is the best poised to defeat Trump because a winning campaign needs "energy and excitement."

"And anyone that's listening to this crowd knows we have a campaign of energy and excitement," Sanders said.

— Jessica Boehm

7:18 p.m. Sanders takes the stage

Sanders took the stage at 7:18 p.m.

He was preceded by short speeches from a Bangladesh immigrant and Sanders organizer, a youth climate activist, a veteran from Common Defense and the director of Living United for Change in Arizona.

The speakers talked about many of the key elements of Sanders' campaign: Opportunity for all, climate change, affordable higher education, immigrant rights, criminal justice reform and more.

Phoenix Vice Mayor Betty Guardado, who was a hotel union organizer before she was elected last year, introduced Sanders.

She wore a "Unite Here" union t-shirt and told her life story, which she called the "American Dream." She said she was part of an immigrant family and her first job was as a hotel housekeeper.

She joined the hotel workers union, which inspired her political ambition. Last year she was a first-time political candidate and was elected to the Phoenix City Council.

"Today our nation is facing one of the greatest threats to the American Dream, and it's coming from the White House. We must come together to defeat Donald Trump," Guardado said.

— Jessica Boehm

6:35 p.m. Sanders goes on a walk

The rally was supposed to begin at 6:30, but local TV news helicopters had live video of Sanders walking around the Encanto-Palmcroft neighborhood, near the coliseum.

He appeared to be on the phone. When he hung up, he attempted to go back to his car but then got caught by some onlookers who asked for photos.

By 6:35, he was back in the car and en route to the rally.

Hundreds of people were still trying to get into the coliseum.

— Jessica Boehm, Maria Polletta and Perry Vandell

6:20 p.m. Woman removed from rally by DPS

A woman wearing a Ruth Bader Ginsburg T-shirt and Sanders buttons was dragged out by two Department of Public Safety troopers while she screamed "I didn't do anything wrong."

Ultimately she fell on the ground and appeared to cry.

After about a minute the officers tried to remove her again and she told them not to touch her.

They picked her up by her arms and removed her from the coliseum while she yelled, "help."

DPS Spokesman Bart Graves said in a statement that the woman "appeared severely intoxicated, abandoned her motorized scooter on the concourse level and was crawling on the floor. When a security guard asked her to get up off the floor, she bit him in the arm. DPS troopers arrived and asked her to leave. She refused and became combative. She has been taken to a hospital and the security guard received medical treatment."

— Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

6 p.m. Chanting and performances

About an hour before Sanders was set to take the stage, chants of "Bernie" echoed throughout the coliseum.

Sanders' campaign rallied the modest but growing crowd with a playlist featuring Latin music and a Native American dance performance.

The diversity of music was a stark contrast to the typical rock playlist at Trump rallies, including the one at the coliseum two weeks ago.

Outside, dozens of cars were still lining up to get into the coliseum’s parking lot.

The line of people waiting to get into the coliseum grew long, extending past the entrance to the parking lot.

A handful of protesters held graphic signs allegedly depicting an aborted 11-week-old fetus.

— Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Perry Vandell

4:30 p.m. Trump helicopter confuses crowd

Just before 4:30 p.m., a helicopter bearing tail number N105 that had "TRUMP 2020" painted on it in large letters began circling the coliseum.

The helicopter was registered in Mount Pleasant, Texas to 105 LLC, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's website.

The helicopter appears to be the "Trump Chopper," which is operated by friends Scott Urschel and Scott Glover, according to trumpchopper.com.

"Both truly believe that Donald Trump is the only choice for President in 2020 who has the fortitude, grit, and determination, to get and keep this country on track but what could a couple of guys with some airplanes and helicopters do?" the website states.

"From this sprang a magnificently adorned Bolkow 105 helicopter in its patriotic color scheme. N105 is doing its part in getting the message out for our President. We hope you will join us with your support for this great president and we also hope you get to catch us in the air soon as we take this message to the corners of the country."

Urschel is commercial pilot from Chandler, according to the FAA's website.

Sanders supporter Roseann Kaufman, 61, said the helicopter is "an annoying reminder that he’s out there."

Another supporter who came from Colorado for the rally, Nicole Kaufman, said "it feels like surveillance."

— Katie Surma and Chelsea Curtis

4:20 A Bernie protester appears

James Barber, 62, who is from Mohave Valley but now lives in Phoenix, decided to protest at the Sanders rally.

He said growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, he learned to be anti-communism and socialism.

"Socialism takes freedom from people," he said.

During the Berlin Wall era, he lived in Germany while serving in the Army. That's where he said he saw socialism and communism firsthand, he said.

He said he is a big supporter of Trump and has attended eight of his rallies in Phoenix, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He likes Trump because he's the first politician who's promised something and actually delivered, Barber said.

In the 1990s he voted for Bill Clinton. Then Clinton raised his taxes. Ever since then he’s been a Republican, he said. He votes "R" down ballot.

Barber, who is an African American, said he hasn't been heckled or yelled at yet, but said that at other protests he's attended, he's been called an "Uncle Tom."

Around 4:30 he ran into a friend: Sanders supporter Stuart Starky.

They met at the county fair last year and became friends even though Barber says Starky is “a little too left for me” and per Starky, Barber is a “little too right for me”.

— Katie Surma

4:15 p.m.: Phoenix Vice Mayor Betty Guardado will introduce Sanders

Phoenix Vice Mayor Betty Guardado will introduce Sanders at the rally.

Guardado was elected to the Phoenix City Council less than a year ago.

Guardado started her career as a housekeeper at a Phoenix hotel and worked her way up in the hotel worker's union, serving as the director of organizing and vice president before she was elected to council.

A representative from Living United for Change Arizona, a grassroots organization that fights to advance social, racial and economic justice, is also expected to speak at the rally.

Before the speakers, there will be music and dance performances.

— Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

4 p.m.: Bernie buttons are profitable business

Ryan Baysinger has made a full-time job out of attending Democratic rallies.

On Thursday, he was stationed outside the coliseum selling buttons that said "Feel the Bern," "Believe in Bernie," "Hindsight 2020" and other pro-Sanders slogans.

He designs them himself and has them printed in Sacramento.

He sells the buttons for $3 each or two for $5 and typically makes $800-$1,000 an event. Sometimes he brings along an extra worker and can double the profits.

— Katie Surma

3:30 p.m.: Sanders crowd is smaller, calmer than Trump

Just two weeks ago, it was Trump packing people into the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum for a rally.

The crowd that awaits Sanders is much smaller and calmer than the crowd that awaited Trump.

Some Trump supporters lined up the night before the rally to ensure their spots and the Coliseum parking lot was packed hours before the rally began. Many people came in from out-of-town to see the president.

The venue, which holds at least 14,000 people, was full, and supporters who couldn't get in rallied outside.

At about 3:30 p.m., three hours before the Sanders rally's anticipated start time, about 200 people were waiting in line, and the parking lot was mostly empty. The vast majority were from Arizona.

Much like at the Trump rally, volunteers were roaming the parking lot making sure supporters were registered to vote.

— Katie Surma

3 p.m.: Sanders shares thoughts on coronavirus

Leading up to Sanders' appearance in Phoenix, he published an op-ed in USA Today blasting President Donald Trump's handling of the spread of the new coronavirus, and calling for scientists to lead the nation's public health response.

USA Today reported Thursday that more than 95,700 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide across more than 60 countries, and more than 3,200 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Two cases have been reported in Arizona but no one has died.

Sanders also used the op-ed to hype universal health care, a cornerstone of his campaign.

"When we are dealing with the spread of a deadly virus, the first thing scientists tell us is that it is imperative for anyone who experiences flu-like symptoms to go to a doctor. But, as a result of our dysfunctional health care system, tens of millions of Americans are uninsured or underinsured and do not seek medical attention when they need it because they cannot afford it," Sanders wrote.

— Jessica Boehm

2 p.m.: 'It's Bernie or bust'

Phoenix resident Eileen Inglesby, 58, and her daughter Cassandra Inglesby, 31, brought a card game called Guillotine to pass the time as they waited outside the coliseum for the rally to begin.

They said Sanders feels like a member of their family.

“I’m 100% in love with this man. There is not a second option for me. It’s Bernie or bust," Eileen said.

They went to the 2016 Democratic National Convention to protest nominee Hillary Clinton, Eileen said, and they will not vote for Biden if he is the nominee.

Cassandra said she learned about Sanders in 2015 when she took a quiz on isidewith.com that matched her with the candidate. She said health care is the most important issue to her, which drew her to Sanders.

Her commitment to Sanders developed quickly: She volunteered for Sanders in 2016 and co-founded a political action committee called San Francisco Berniecrats when she lived in California.

In Arizona, it's been hard to find like-minded people to talk politics with, they said. So instead they turn to the internet where they say they talk with other Sanders supporters from around the country on a daily basis.

— Katie Surma

1 p.m.: Sanders supporters arrive at coliseum

Glendale resident Royal Beauchamp, 72, was one of the first supporters to arrive at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Beauchamp said he's been a Sanders fan since the '60s because he protested the Vietnam War.

With a raspy voice and a country drawl, Beauchamp said he likes Sanders because he does what he says he will do.

This is Beauchamp's second Sanders rally. He supported the candidate in 2016 as well.

He said that he sees Biden, the other front-runner for the Democratic nomination, as a "Wall Street Democrat," but said he'd likely vote for him if he becomes the nominee.

"If I can hold my nose long enough," he said.

Phoenix nurse Craig Culp, 32, was also eager to see Sanders.

He called the candidate a "transformation figure" and a "visionary."

Culp said he came out to the coliseum early to make sure he'd get to see Sanders in person.

"A lot of what we learn is from the media. This is a chance to see him firsthand," Culp said.

He said he supported Sanders in 2016 and believes it's important for supporters to show that Sanders' ideas aren't radical.

That said, he said he "would vote blue no matter who."

— Katie Surma

12:50 p.m.: Sanders campaign announces Arizona co-chairs

Hours ahead of Sanders' Phoenix rally, his campaign announced his Arizona co-chairs. These are the prominent Arizonans the campaign is relying on to rally support for Sanders leading up to the March 17 Presidential Preference Election.

They include:

Martin Quezada, state senator (D-Phoenix)

Richard Andrade, state representative (D-Phoenix)

Rebecca Garelli, co-founder and lead organizer, Arizona Educators United

Carlos Garcia, Phoenix City Council member

Roy Tatem, president, East Valley NAACP & former deputy director African American Outreach, Bernie Sanders for President 2016

Wenona Benally, former Arizona state representative & member of the Navajo Nation

Lane Santa Cruz, Tucson City Council member

Brianna Westbrook, LGBTQ+ rights activist

This week, azcentral's The Gaggle podcast dove into how the Democrats plan to win Arizona in 2020.

— Jessica Boehm

11 a.m.: Sanders, Biden appear to be in a close race for nomination

Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden came out of Super Tuesday as the Democratic Party's clear front-runners.

Sanders, speaking to reporters on Wednesday from Vermont, made it clear he intends to differentiate his policies from the more moderate Biden.

"The American people have got to understand that this is a conflict about ideas, about a record, about a vision for where we go forward," Sanders said. "Joe has his ideas, his record, his vision for the future. I have mine. I look forward to a serious debate on the serious issues facing this country."

Beyond today's rally, Sanders will return to Phoenix for the March 15 Democratic presidential debate. Arizona's presidential preference election follows two days later, although most of the state's voters already will have cast their ballot by mail.

— Ronald J. Hansen

9 a.m.: Has Sanders visited Arizona before?

Sanders is no stranger to Arizona.

The progressive Vermont senator attracted thousands to the Phoenix Convention Center in July 2015 when he was considered a long shot challenger to then-Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Sanders returned to the convention center and the coliseum as he crisscrossed the state in March 2016, including rallies from the Navajo Nation to Tucson.

"Phoenix, are you ready for a political revolution? Are you tired of a handful of billionaires running our economy?" he asked the Phoenix crowd four years ago. "Well, if you are, you’ve come to the right place!"

Expect much the same anti-establishment message this go-around.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:What to expect at Sen. Bernie Sanders' first 2020 Arizona rally in Phoenix

7 a.m.: How can I attend the rally? Do I need a ticket?

The rally is free to anyone who wants to go. Tickets are not required, but the Sanders campaign encourages people to RSVP by using this link. Entry will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. with the rally scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Sanders drew thousands of Arizonans to rallies in 2016, and is expected to attract similar crowds this go-around.

Attendees are encouraged to carry water, as today's high temperature was expected to reach the mid-80s. Parking is available at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, which includes the coliseum. The cost is $10, cash only.

Get more details here.