OAKS, PA -- Standing before a sea of blue that repeatedly burst into raucous ovation at his words, Bernie Sanders mentioned another famous politician from the Keystone State.
The 2016 Democratic Presidential candidate was at the Philadelphia Expo Center Oaks on Thursday evening ahead of the upcoming Pennsylvania primary.
Sanders invoked Scranton native Joe Biden in his speech, calling him a "great son of Pennsylvania" and citing a recent New York Times article in which the Vice President said that he much preferred Sanders' campaign style to that of Hillary Clinton.
“I like the idea of saying, ‘We can do much more,’ because we can,” Biden said in the article published Thursday. “I don’t think any Democrats ever won saying, ‘We can’t think that big — we ought to really downsize here because it’s not realistic.'"
"I think the Vice President is exactly right," Sanders said in his speech. "That's what this campaign is about. It's about having the courage to face the reality of life."
Biden said he has remained neutral in the Democratic campaign. Publicly, President Obama has also not endorsed either candidate. In invoking the Vice President, Sanders was taking a step he had not really been able to take throughout much of his campaign.
Most of Sanders' speech focused on his main policy issues: workers rights, breaking up the banks, global warming, minimum wage, and campaign finance.
The parking lot was full and supporters were milling about the Expo Center area for hours before Sanders' 7:30 p.m. speech. Some sold t-shirts, buttons, and other campaign memorabilia in the lot. The doors opened hours earlier, at 4:30.
Protesters did not disrupt the event, as they have at rallies for candidates in both parties throughout the election season. There were, however, a few Trump supporters who showed up to "crash" the event, later taking to Twitter with photos of themselves holding up Trump hats in front of Sanders signs.
A consensus of polls has Sanders trailing Clinton in Pennsylvania by 15 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics.
He trails her in the delegate count by a total of 1,428 to 1,151. A win for Sanders in Pennsylvania would be crucial, as the primary season is winding down. Candidates need 2,383 to clinch the nomination; 1,646 delegates remain up for grabs.
>>When is the 2016 Pennsylvania Presidential Primary?
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