Hillary Clinton better not get too comfortable with that double-digit lead she currently has in New York. Bernie Sanders has arrived - with about 15,000 friends.
The momentum that has followed the Vermont senator throughout the 2016 campaign and given the Clinton camp a major headache has followed them to the Bronx. Sanders' first campaign rally in New York Thursday night was dominated by young faces and had a concert-like feel, according to the New York Daily News. Like many of his fans in previous states, the Sanders supporters in the Bronx ate up every word he had to say about defeating the billionaire class.
In addition to loving Sanders' progressive message, his supporters explained why they're not so "ready" for Hillary:
“Bernie has finally come to New York and we’re ready for him, we’re all ready,” Yi said. “He’s authentic. Bernie doesn’t flip flop like Hillary does. He’s about social justice, and, number one, it’s about trust.”
Thursday's electric Sanders event has to make the Clinton camp nervous. By all means, Clinton has to win in the Empire State. She was a senator there. She has a home there. Losing to Sanders in New York would prove to Democrats she's not as steely as they thought and may be too vulnerable for the general election.
Indeed, current polls show her with a solid lead in New York. Yet, judging by her campaign's schedule, she is jittery about maintaining it. Bloomberg Politics noted earlier this week that Clinton has no campaign events in Wisconsin before Tuesday's primary, where Sanders is polling on top in recent surveys. Instead, Hillary, Bill, and her staff are focusing all their efforts on the April 19 New York primary. Does that sound like a candidate who is confident in her chances?
A few hours before Sanders' large gathering, Clinton spoke to a more intimate crowd of 500 or so supporters at Purchase College in Westchester, New York. At that event, she still couldn't escape Sanders' passionate fans - a small group of student protesters interrupted her speech to chant, "She wins, we lose."