If you turn on any mainstream news outlet talking about the 2016 presidential election, you’ll hear a common theme which claims that Bernie Sanders is a “long shot” and doesn’t have a chance at winning.
There is an obvious bias in the media towards Hillary Clinton, many of whom won’t even acknowledge Sanders’ existence. And if they do, they would often try to point out some flaw of Sanders or his inability to rise above Hillary in the polls. But let’s be honest, those polls are irrelevant and are an inaccurate representation of the views of the general public; polls numbers vary based on sample size and the demographic of those being polled.
Sanders may not have the poll takers or the mainstream media on his side, but unlike Clinton, and the rest of the 2016 presidential candidates, Sanders has the ability to mobilize his support beyond his presidential campaign.
There has been no presidential candidate that has drawn in crowds like Sanders has. Clinton at most had 5500 people at her campaign announcement speech while Sanders has drawn in crowds of 8000, 10,000 and even over 11,000 people. In fact, Sanders biggest issue in his campaign is finding venues large enough to hold his rallies. This is something that the media refuses to talk about or acknowledge. (I created a graphic below to give a visual of how Sanders compares to the rest of the candidates in crowd size)
This is where Sanders will have Clinton beat. His ability to mobilize goes beyond his campaign. Sanders is not simply running on a presidential platform, but rather an ideology that so many Americans are actively behind. And that is what makes all the difference.
Sanders continues to inspire many Americans and with his ability to mobilize, and in return will get more of his voters to the booth than Clinton or any of the other candidates.
More importantly, Sanders has the ability to revive American politics and inspire young people to take part even more so than Obama did in the 2008 election. Sanders continues to be a popular choice among young people and those who have lost faith in the political system who now, for the first time, feel like they have the power to make a difference.
And with that mindset and ideology, it is clear that Sanders will get more voters to the voting booth with his genuine grassroots campaign than Clinton. So to call Sanders “a long shot” is incorrect because Sanders continues to mobilize more voters than any other candidate, and that is how he will win.