Sanders Campaign Press Release - On the Road in Iowa

The crowds are incredible.

Here in Davenport along the banks of the Mississippi River, more than 650 people were at Bernie's first stop on his first trip to Iowa after announcing his candidacy for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. The "crowd of 500+ … may be largest for an individual candidate in Iowa this year," The New York Times' Trip Gabriel tweeted. He said there were chants of "Bernie, Bernie" as the senator arrived at the meeting room on the campus of St. Ambrose University.

Sanders spoke and answered questions for nearly two hours in remarks that focused on the economy. He "attacked big business and billionaires" and said that "the gap between the rich and everyone else is growing wider," according to Iowa newspaper and television reports.

"This campaign is not about Bernie Sanders, it's not about Jeb Bush and it's not about Hillary Clinton. It's about you, and these young people up here," Sanders said told the university audience.

Bernie mentioned his legislation to make public colleges and universities tuition free, as they are in many countries overseas and as it used to be in the United States. He also said students and their parents ought to be able to negotiate better rates on student loans. He would boost in minimum wage eventually to $15 an hour. He also pledged to put 13 million Americans to work by investing $1 trillion in rebuilding roads and bridges and other infrastructure projects.

"What we have got to do is to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the top 1 percent," Bernie said.