Bernie Sanders rallies for primary votes at University of Houston

Democratic primary presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane, at a rally at the Fertitta Center at the University of Houston on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. Democratic primary presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane, at a rally at the Fertitta Center at the University of Houston on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 41 Caption Close Bernie Sanders rallies for primary votes at University of Houston 1 / 41 Back to Gallery

Fresh off of a win in Nevada’s Democratic primary caucuses, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders came to Houston prepared.

Speaking at the University of Houston, the presidential hopeful did not shy from a string of harrowing events still fresh in Texans’ minds, using the city’s brush with devastating storms to shed light on climate change and the deadly shooting in El Paso to call for tougher gun control.

“This state, maybe more than any other state, has the possibility of transforming this country,” said Sanders, speaking Sunday to more than 6,600 rally-goers in the Fertitta Center

Sanders called on his signature campaign pitches, including a single-payer Medicare for All system, raising the U.S. minimum wage to $15 an hour and reforming “a broken and racist criminal justice system.”

His renewed attention toward snagging Texas support ahead of the March 3 primary appeared to energize prospective voters, who last saw him in Houston in April 2019. A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll showed Sanders as a narrowing front-runner, polling at 24 percent among self-identified Democratic voters. He cinched a major victory in Nevada on Saturday with 46 percent of the Democratic vote.

Jamie Baccaro and her daughter, Maya, said they were pleased with Sanders’ efforts to appeal to Texans.

“We’re really happy to see him here in Texas since it is a controversial state,” Maya Baccaro said. “It feels nice that he’s educated on everything happening here.”

Over the ear-splitting roar of thousands of rally attendees, he also called for an overhaul of the country’s infrastructure, vowing to commit financial resources to rebuilding roads and water systems, along will building up to 10 million units of affordable and low-income housing.

He took swings at his Democratic opponent, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and President Donald Trump, calling out the commander-in-chief as a “hoax” for his disregard of climate change and tax cuts which Sanders said were aimed at benefiting corporations and billionaires.

“We do not want a president who disrespects American democracy,” he said.

Sanders blasted Bloomberg for pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into political advertising since joining the contested race.

“Michael Bloomberg has the right to run for the presidency, but he does not have the right to buy the presidency,” he said.

The primary will be University of Houston student Yahya Yahya’s first time voting in a presidential race. He attended the rally already with plans to vote for Sanders but had hoped to hear the senator address issues affecting younger voters.

“Student debt, it’s pretty important to students,” Yahya said.

Another supporter, William Salazar, said he had been keeping tabs on Sanders’ voting record since the early 2000s, when he was a congressman opposing the authorization to enter the Iraq War.

Salazar, donning a leather bomber jacket and red “Democratic Socialists for Bernie” shirt, thought Sanders could clinch the Democratic presidential nomination.

“This guy is the candidate for the people,” he said.

Sanders was expected to speak again on Sunday in Austin. He made a campaign stop on Saturday in San Antonio, where more than 3,000 supporters came out to cheer the Vermont lawmaker. He vowed to win the Democratic primary.

“The president gets very upset easily, so don’t tell him that we’re going to beat him here in Texas,” he told the crowd.

Staff writer Jeremy Wallace contributed to this story.

gwendolyn.wu@chron.com