COOPERSVILLE, Mich. — Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) made a campaign stop at a trade union in Coopersville on Saturday.
Although the event was closed to the public, more than 100 people showed up to hear from the Democratic candidate who is making a run for the White House.
"I am here in the Midwest for one major reason, and that is I am going to do everything I can to make sure that Donald Trump is not re-elected president," he told the crowd at UA Local 174—a trade union representing West Michigan plumbers, pipefitters and other members of service trades.
Sanders made healthcare, the economy and education a focus of his speech.
"We need to make public colleges and universities free," he said. "But the truth is not every young person wants to go to college. They are good with their hands; they want to be welders, they want to be carpenters, they want to be plumbers. Those jobs are desperately needed."
Sanders said that he wants to work with unions in order to develop strong apprenticeship programs.
"Our infrastructure should not be crumbling before our eyes," Sanders also said in his speech. "I'm talking about roads, and I'm talking about bridges. I'm talking about water systems and waste water plants and rail and airports."
After speaking for about 30 minutes, Sanders also took questions from the crowd.
Ann and Doug Swisher attended the event. "It is very important to me that we have Medicare for all," said Ann Swisher. "He really cares about us and fixing what ails this country."
U.S. Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland) represents Coopersville, and he issued a statement following Sanders' speech: “While Senator Sanders’ socialist rhetoric may be enticing to some, in reality his policies spell trouble for Michigan residents. Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal would strip 5.5 million Michiganders of their private health insurance, cost taxpayers a whopping $32 trillion, and limit health care choices while increasing wait times for patients to see doctors. This is precisely the wrong approach.”
The Senator brought up the fact that he won the Democratic primary in Michigan during the 2016 election. Donald Trump won Michigan in the general election, flipping the state from blue to red, and it has since become the focus of the 2020 presidential election.
President Donald Trump made a campaign stop in Grand Rapids in March, and several other Democratic candidates have also made stops in Michigan.
Democrats are trying to win back three states from Trump in the presidential election: Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Those three Midwestern states are quickly becoming battleground states.
Sanders is continuing his tour of the Midwest with a stop in Warren, where General Motors is closing a plant.
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