Watch CBS News

Bernie Sanders' Campaign For President Picking Up Steam Nationwide

By Kim Glovas

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS) -- As Hillary Clinton continues to draw widespread media coverage, good and bad, another Democratic candidate for president has been struggling to break through into the public consciousness.

The attention on the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders has been minimal up to this point. But a Temple University professor of political science sees that beginning to turn around for the junior senator from Vermont.

sanders-GettyImages-477478786
(Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders walks from a train in the US Senate in Washington, DC, on June 17th. Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/ AFP/ Getty Images)

----

Gary Mucciarroni, a political science professor at Temple, says Sanders is attracting more media attention as he begins drawing larger crowds to his campaign events.

"He's being taken more seriously as the days go on, and the reason for that...   Three reasons.  Number one, he's rising in the polls, he's drawing big crowds, and the media wants there to be a race in the Democratic Party because that will be a more interesting story to cover. "

Ten thousand people turned out at a Wisconsin rally for Sanders last week.

Mucciarroni also says that Sanders is raising issues which appeal to younger voters.

"And a lot of it would be appealing (to younger voters), especially in terms of lowering student debt and increasing the pay of low-wage workers," Mucciarroni thinks.

"The Clinton campaign is starting to take him more seriously," Mucciarroni adds.  "They don't see him merely as 'an annoyance,' as somebody called it, but they're seeing him more now as a credible challenger."

Sanders is also using Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit to connect with the younger demographic.

 

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.