Bernie Sanders Draws Over 7,000 Supporters at Birmingham Rally on Monday, January 18, 2016 [PHOTOS]

A crowd of over 7,000 welcomed United States Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders to the Magic City last night.
Senator Sanders held the rally in Boutwell Auditorium, where 5,700 packed in to hear the Senator speak. Another 1,400 braved the cold outisde to watch Senator Sanders on a jumbotron in Linn Park.

Sanders greeted the crowd by saying, "There must be a mistake. Somebody told me Alabama is a conservative state."

al.com reports that Sanders "touched on his campaign platforms of income inequality, single-payer health care, free college tuition, a $15 an hour minimum wage, equal pay for women and mandated medical and family leave."

Senator Sanders said he came to Birmingham on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day because he is committed to continuing the legacy of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. Before the rally, Senator Sanders visited the 16th Street Baptist Church and the Civil Rights Museum.

“The vision he had for the future in many ways remains unfulfilled,” Sanders said. “If we are serious about remembering his legacy, we will continue the fight for racial justice, economic justice and for a nation in which all people live with dignity. We still have a long way to go.”