In Charlottesville, Candidate Sanders promises free tuition

Between a visit to the conservative campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg and a campaign rally for fellow progressives in Northern Virginia, Senator and presidential contender Bernie Sanders slipped into the University of Virginia's Miller Center on Monday to tape an episode of American Forum for PBS.

He didn't promise a chicken in every pot, but Sanders did promise a free tuition for every student; and that brought whoops of applause in this college town.

"Why aren't we listening to the American people? The American people want to raise the minimum wage. The American people want to rebuild our infrastructure and create millions of jobs. The American people want the rich and large corporations to pay more in taxes."

Robyn Wightman slipped away from Charlottesville High School to see Sanders.

"I'm really exited for him as a candidate even though I'm 16, and I can't vote."

Physician Larry Gimple was also impressed.

"He's obviously passionate about working people. He's passionate about income inequality and ideas about how to change it."

The 74-year-old Sanders was little known outside his home state of Vermont until recent polls showed that he now stands in a statistical tie with Hillary Clinton among Democratic voters in Iowa and New Hampshire.

For WCVE News, Hawes Spencer in Charlotesville.