Sen. Bernie Sanders Campaigns For Liz Watson In Bloomington

Alex Eady

Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders stopped in Bloomington Friday for a rally in support of 9th Congressional District candidate Liz Watson.

Watson is running against Republican incumbent Trey Hollingsworth.

The Bloomington event is one of nine stops on Sanders’ cross-country tour ahead of the November election.

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Sanders spoke to a crowd that filled Indiana University’s Dunn Meadow. He touted Watson’s campaign efforts and urged supporters to vote.

"The essence of democracy is citizen participation, it is voting," Sanders says.

He addressed a number of issues, including health care and wages. Sanders pledged to work with Watson to raise the minimum wage to $15 and to close the gender wage gap.

Watson echoed Sanders’ messages, encouraging voters to take a stand against tax cuts and push for healthcare for all.

Watson also spoke out against her competitor.

"This is our time to show Trey Hollingsworth and the corrupt Congress in Washington that there are some things money can’t buy," Watson says. "Not this time, not in Indiana."

Sanders also called for an end to prejudice and discrimination against minority groups, which he says President Donald Trump is inciting.

"We have been winning that struggle, becoming a less discriminatory society," he says. "And today we say to Donald Trump and his friends, we are not going backwards, we are going forwards."

Sanders will continue his tour with events in Michigan, South Carolina, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and California.