CONCORD, N.H. — Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders officially filed his paperwork for the New Hampshire primary this afternoon, then rallied a massive crowd of supporters outside the State House here.
“This country needs a political revolution,” Sanders declared, recalling the words he wrote on the candidacy papers he had filed moments earlier.
The steady string of presidential candidates filing at the State House began yesterday. Donald Trump became the first Republican, using the event to whip up supporters and both field questions from and berate reporters.
Sanders’ crowd was much larger, as his supporters took over the green in front of the State House and the unabashed democratic socialist delivered a familiar stump speech.
“What this campaign is saying to the billionaire class — your days of greed and recklessness and irresponsibility is over,” said Sanders. “To Wall Street and corporate America we say loudly and clearly — You are going to start paying your fair share of taxes.”
Sanders told the crowd his campaign has been bolstered by 750,000 individual contributions — claiming that represents more than any other political campaign in American history.
Sanders registered for the ballot as a Democrat, which is notable because he’s currently one of only two Independents in the U.S. Senate (Maine’s Angus King is the other).
Sanders then predicted victory — both for the Democratic nomination and on Election Day — and walked off to Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley was the first Democrat to file for the New Hampshire ballot, submitting his paperwork here yesterday.
Hillary Clinton plans to file on Monday at 12:30 p.m. That will launch two days of Granite State campaigning, her office announced today.
Clinton will speak to environmentalists at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua on Monday at 3:45 p.m., then hold a town hall at Windham High School at 6:15 p.m.
On Tuesday, Clinton will hold a veterans roundtable at the Derry VFW at noon, then hit Dartmouth College at 3:45 p.m.