By Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In the capital of one of the most solidly Republican states in the nation, one of the most progressive voices in politics presented a message not of ideology but of affordability.
“In Vermont, we’re struggling with inadequate wages. That’s what you are facing here,” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., told a standing-room only crowd of 3,000-plus in the Grand Ballroom at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center Saturday evening. “In Vermont, we’re paying some of the highest health care costs in the country. You’ve got a health care crisis here. In Vermont, we can’t afford to send our kids to college. Neither can you.”
Charleston was the 17th stop on Sanders’ national Fighting Oligarchy tour, at which he’s been holding speeches and town halls targeting corporate interests. According to Sanders’ media team, Sanders drew a crowd of just over 400 in Lenore in rural Mingo County Saturday afternoon, according to an HD Media reporter on site. More than 2,300 saw Sanders in Wheeling at the Capitol Theatre Friday evening, according to Sanders’ media team.
