EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – In the wake of the first presidential debate of this election season, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders rallied in Eau Claire on Friday as a part of his Wisconsin tour.
This rally comes just after Thursday night’s presidential debate where voters saw Former President Trump and President Biden go head-to-head for the first time this election season. The discussion was at the top of mind for many of the people at the rally.
“I thought it went kind of kind of rough for Mr. Biden,” John Eichacker of Eau Claire said. “I kind of felt sorry for him.”
“There’s no question that it wasn’t his best night and we all have off nights,” State Senator Jeff Smith, (D) Brunswick, said. “It certainly was an off night.”
“I was a little disappointed with the format, but overall I think we definitely saw the differences between the two candidates,” Cade Berg of Chippewa Falls said.
Sen. Sanders started the rally by touching on just that.
“Mmm, not a great night,” Sen. Sanders said. “I think for the average American, actually, it was a distressing night.”
Yet despite those in the crown not being overly impressed with Biden’s performance, they said they hope Sen. Sanders will still rally behind the president.
“Joe Biden is still capable of being our president. He has good people around him,” Margetta Souder of Eau Claire said. “We don’t vote for the Biden as much as we’re voting for his administration.”
Sen. Sanders did rally behind the president, saying although he disagrees with Biden on a variety of issues, Biden is the preferable candidate.
“In these difficult times, I know there is, in some places, not a lot of enthusiasm for either of these candidates, but we have to take a deep breath at where we’re at,” Sen. Sanders said. “I think it would be a disaster for this country for so many reasons if Trump were elected.”
At the rally, Senator Sanders touched on many topics from universal healthcare to climate change and the wage gap, but one message he honed in on was the importance of voting in the upcoming election.
Senator Sanders will wrap up his Wisconsin tour tomorrow with a visit to La Crosse. In response to the visit to Wisconsin, the Republican Party of Wisconsin released a statement saying in part, “With high costs continuing to plague the economy, the last person Wisconsinites want to hear from is tax and spend socialist Bernie Sanders.”
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