"We are spending time in parts of California that other campaigns simply ignore," said Sanders 2020 California political director Jane Kim. "We have an agenda that is actually going to energize Central Valley voters."

The campaign hopes that Sanders' focus on sweeping economic proposals that aim to help lower-income people will resonate with Central Valley residents who feel left behind.

"We're talking about a region of California that is largely working class and has been under-resourced in a state that is incredibly wealthy," Kim said.

That's a message that hits home with Sanders 2020 volunteer Brandon Youngblood, who lives in Stockton — part of San Joaquin County, where Sanders lost in 2016 by more than 14 percentage points.

"Political activities are relatively low here, and we really think the political revolution is ground zero here in a place like Stockton," Youngblood said as he prepared to canvas for Sanders Sunday morning.

"I think Stockton gets scapegoated and fear-mongered a great deal, because we do have a significant amount of crime," he added. "But we have to talk about the origins of crime ... When it comes to socioeconomic status, when it comes to the school-to-prison pipeline, we need resources. Bernie Sanders understands this better than any other candidate."

For fellow Sanders supporter and Stockton resident Kari Khoury, it all comes down to health care. She thinks Sanders' Medicare for All plan will particularly resonate with Central Valley voters.

"I'm a retired nurse, and I worked with the San Joaquin Medical Society to look at people who are suffering from asthma," Khoury said.

"We have one of the highest rates in the state. And it's because people are not getting good, consistent preventative care," Khoury said. "Medicare for All is a huge push for us in the Central Valley."

A large block of potential support in the Central Valley — and California at-large — comes from Latino voters, who make up a larger portion of the state's population than whites. While Latino voters are not monolithic, outreach to the community has been a core component of Sanders' campaign, according to Jane Kim.