Voters in New Hampshire are making their selections Tuesday in a primary election for president of the United States. While there are still a number of presidential hopefuls on the Republican side, the Democrats are down to a heated race between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
Sanders, a self-proclaimed “democratic socialist,” is an unusual candidate, leading a campaign that touts the problems of Wall Street, super PACs and corporate influence in Washington. His massive following is unexpected: attracting largely young voters compared to Clinton, who has more support from older voters.
The race is tight: in the Feb. 1 Iowa caucus, Clinton barely edged over Sanders — 49.9 percent versus 49.6 percent of the votes, respectively.
In late-January, ahead of the Iowa caucus and the primary season frenzy, Sanders had addressed his followers via video live stream. All around the country, supporters gathered at over 2,000 registered house parties to watch. We went behind-the-scenes at one such supporter gathering to hear from Sanders’ fans, in the video above.
This house party took place at a housing cooperative in downtown Oakland called Fantasia, where a group of college graduates have transformed what was previously an architecture studio into their communal home. As strangers flooded in from the streets to support Sanders at the event — named “Bernie & Beers” — and partake in the communal lifestyle, the curious atmosphere and diversity of attendees shed some light on this grassroots campaign.
