NEW YORK — Storming past questions about his health, Bernie Sanders vowed that he's"more ready than ever" to fight for a political revolution — with a little help from new friends — at a rally Saturday that drew thousands to a New York City park. The rally offered a pointed reminder to skeptics in both political parties that the 78-year-old democratic socialist is still very much a force in the 2020 presidential race.
"To put it bluntly, I am back," Sanders declared, sparking chants of,"Bernie is back" from the massive crowd. The event marked Sanders' formal return to the campaign trail less than three weeks after he suffered a heart attack that threatened both his life and political future. Even before that, he was in danger of falling out of the top-tier in the 2020 Democratic primary field. Polls suggest he's lagging behind liberal rival Elizabeth Warren and establishment favorite Joe Biden.
A security company hired by the campaign reported a crowd estimate of 25,000. Among those speaking, filmmaker and activist Michael Moore told the cheering crowd that he was endorsing Sanders, shortly before Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., praised the Vermont senator on stage.She heaped praise on the Vermont senator but did not explicitly say that she was endorsing him. The Sanders campaign announced earlier in the week that she had.