SALT LAKE CITY -- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders made a return trip to Utah, making a foreign policy address and rallying thousands ahead of the Tuesday caucus.
"All right Salt Lake City, are you ready for a political revolution?" he shouted to cheers from a packed gymnasium at West High School.
The Salt Lake City Fire Marshal estimated crowd turnout at about 3,500. It was a smaller venue and smaller crowd than Friday's rally at This is the Place Heritage Park, which drew more than 14,000.
Sen. Bernie Sanders waves to supporters next to Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, at a campaign rally on Monday. (Photo by Ben Winslow)
Unlike his opponents in the presidential race, Sanders skipped Monday's powerful American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) meeting in Washington, D.C., but declared that he is "probably the only candidate who has personal ties with Israel."
Ahead of the rally, Sanders delivered his own foreign policy address to a select group of supporters where he called on Muslim countries to take the lead in the fight against ISIS (with U.S. support), backed the Iran nuclear deal, and weighed in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, urging both sides to work toward peace.
"I firmly believe that the only prospect for peace is the successful negotiation of a two-state solution," Sanders said to applause from the room.
Sanders is polling ahead of Hillary Clinton in Utah's Democratic caucus. During Monday's campaign rally, he urged his supporters to flood the caucus meetings to vote for him. His supporters, who consider themselves a wide demographic of progressives, said they intend to.
"I am down to vote and I'm going to bring all of my friends," said Nyx Lorry, who dressed in black and sported a "Goths for Bernie" sign.
Nyx Lorry holds a "Goths for Bernie" sign at the Bernie Sanders campaign rally in Salt Lake City.
Wagma Mohmand said it was Sanders' stances on racial issues that drew her to him.
"He's acknowledging the racism and discrimination in the United States and he's representing people," she told FOX 13.
With a larger-than-ever turnout predicted for Tuesday's caucus, Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City, said it was her hope the caucuses translate to larger gains for Democrats in local races.
"I think that's going to make a big difference in caucus night and I think that's going to make a big turnout on Election night," she said. "As a result, I think we're going to see some good results for the Democrats."
