Although the upcoming 2016 presidential election is still over a year away, few new coming candidates have gained more attention than Bernie Sanders. Someone who was previously thought to be dead in the water due to a strong, decade long campaign from Hillary Clinton, he has found a way to connect with younger, more socially conscious voters in spite of the fact that he could potentially become the oldest serving U.S president. With his campaign focused on income inequality, getting money out of politics and tuition free at colleges and universities, he might just be saying the things that the liberal audience want to hear. The South community seems to have a unified position on issues that matter and Sanders might just be what they want.

Sanders is mainly gaining traction through younger people, including students at South. In a survey given to South students pre-debate, 64% of them said that they would consider voting for Sanders if they could vote. He was most popular with the 10th and 11th graders and is least popular with the 12th graders.

The road to a a nomination began this year on May 26th for Sanders and since then his popularity has only grown. He’s been focusing on issues such as the wage gap, controlling big banks, keeping the pharmaceutical industry under control and tuition free college for all Americans. These views contrast Clinton’s due to his opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership, his unwavering support of gay rights and having a campaign based off of volunteer work and minor donations opposed to super PACs.

There are some ways that Sanders differs from the typical Democratic candidate. His opinion on gun control has varied between being mixed to being explicitly opposed like when voted against background checks and waiting periods. He has also expressed some pro-Israel support throughout his career as the sole congressman of Vermont.

Talking to a self proclaimed “Bernie fanatic” such as senior Sam Lee, you’ll see how passionate Bernie’s supporters are about him. “Bernie Sanders is changing the way that politics is done in this country” he raves,“It just makes sense.” Lee admitted to donating to the Sanders campaign.

Although Lee supports Sanders, he is critical of him at the same time. “I think he’s too nice, he needs to go more offensive,” stated Lee.

Lee thinks that one thing you really can’t do is underestimate the power of Bernie Sanders. He believes Sanders is “coming out of nowhere” and starting to run this year’s presidential campaign. Lee thinks that “[Sanders] is  just saying all the right things,” that South students want to hear.

As this presidential campaign heats up it will be interesting to see if Sanders has what it takes to get past the primaries. The support from younger audiences and schools like South are places where his support can grow.