Just days into his presidential campaign, Sen. Bernie Sanders is drawing quite the crowd.
On Thursday, May 28, 2015, more than 500 people packed the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University to hear from Sanders. The Vermont senator announced his bid for the presidency on Tuesday.
"What we have got to do is to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the top 1 percent," said Sanders.
Many cheered as Sanders attacked big business and a system in which much of the country's wealth is controlled by a handful of billionaires.
"The issue of wealth and income inequality is the great moral issue of our time, the great economic issue of our time," said Sanders.
Sanders is seeking the Democratic nomination, but has long been a political independent. On Thursday, he touted his plan to expand social security benefits, establish a universal pre-K system, and make all public colleges and universities tuition-free.
Sanders also called for campaign finance limits and an end to global warming.
"Climate change is real. It is caused by human activity. It is already bringing devastation to parts of America and throughout the world," said Sanders.
It will take a large grassroots effort, though, for Sanders to secure the Democratic nomination. An average of all surveys from RealClearPolitics.com shows Hillary Clinton as the front-runner, polling at more than 60 percent.
Sanders will be in Muscatine and West Branch on Friday, before heading to Iowa City on Saturday.