“This is a campaign that is on the move,” Bernie Sanders said of his presidential run, “and, together, this is a campaign that will end in victory.”

Those are pretty confident words from a man who the media repeatedly reports is a socialist, but who is a self-described democratic socialist. John Stewart from The Daily Show was among the first to report Bernie Sanders as a legitimate candidate for the U.S. presidency.

Still, even now, months later, the mainstream media continues to act as though Bernie Sanders for President 2016 is nothing greater than a side show. In 2008, Obama won the election, at least in part, by relying on social media and the internet. That’s one arena where Bernie Sanders shines, but it’s certainly not the only arena.

By the time the actual election year rolled around in spring of 2008, Sen. Barack Obama managed to draw a crowd of 75,000 at Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon, but the year preceding the election, Obama’s crowd numbers were even less impressive than Bernie Sanders are now at the same time in the presidential race.

At the end of September in 2007, The New York Times reported that Obama’s presidential campaign managed to draw one of the largest crowds of the year to Manhattan’s Washington Square Park.

“And tonight, he drew what the campaign said was 24,000 people to Washington Square Park. That number was impossible to verify – unlike the other locales, where police provided a crowd count – but the audience clearly was one of the largest of the year.”

24,000 people in September, the year before the presidential election was very impressive for Sen. Obama, but Bernie Sanders has exceeded that crowd size a couple of times already. For example, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena officials reported 27,500 people showed up to see Bernie. Meanwhile, 28,000 people watched Bernie Sanders speak in Portland, Oregon, and it’s only August.

Last month, 10,000 people crowded together for Bernie Sanders in Madison, Wisconsin, doubling the audience size of Hillary Clinton’s largest crowd at that point. In Portland, Maine last month, a small city of only 66,000, drew a crowd estimated between 8,000 and 9,000 people. Meanwhile, Hillary gathered 5,000 in New York City.

Bernie Sanders for President is even wrangling up large crowds in conservative states like Texas and Arizona. 11,000 people showed up at a Bernie Sanders rally in Phoenix in July, more than a year before the election.

How does Bernie do it? Ginormous rallies for Democratic hopeful in LA, Seattle & Portland. http://t.co/WG3g9YYCbo pic.twitter.com/mi51WbDoPT — Jim Roberts (@nycjim) August 11, 2015

Besides, as recognizable as Hillary Clinton is, she does have things besides Bernie Sanders working against her, including her own past. From Whitewater to Benghazi to the emails, people know that Hillary has been involved in some serious scandals.

HILLARY FAILED AT: First Lady Senator Secretary of State Lawful citizen Please, we owe her a try at being president. — WH PRESS SECRETARY (@weknowwhatsbest) August 11, 2015

If social media is any indicator of who will be the democratic nominee, Hillary needs to seriously up her game. The internet loves Bernie Sanders.

Plenty more people are talking about Bernie Sanders for president over Hillary

“Bernie is real.He speaks to me.For the first time in my life I believe a politician is telling the truth” Marcia,NNU pic.twitter.com/GXNDdMHoex — People For Bernie (@People4Bernie) August 11, 2015

‘No Freaking Way!’ Teachers Revolt Over Union’s Endorsement Of Hillary Clinton – BB4SP http://t.co/NgDgFp8HLk — Barracuda Brigade (@BarracudaMama) August 11, 2015

I wonder if Hillary campaign thinks they can draw those kind of numbers. 27,000 is very impressive. #BernieSanders https://t.co/arx7Mpex0L — Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 11, 2015

Hillary Clinton’s college-tuition reform plan won’t help students http://t.co/mOIEEjcM79 — MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) August 11, 2015

Besides, Bernie Sanders is even swaying GOP voters with his, as John Stewart put it, “rational, slightly left-of-center, mainstream” authentic politics.

[Featured Photo via Music Lovers For Bernie Sanders 2016]