Bernie Sanders slammed Jeb Bush's campaign finances Thursday night, calling the $103 million his super PAC raised a sign of oligarchy.
"I intend to take this campaign all over the country and convince working class Republicans that they should not vote for someone who works night and day for the billionaire class and is not representing their interests," Sanders said to an enthusiastic crowd.
Over 550 people crowded into a small room in Northern Virginia to hear Sanders speak on the rainy Thursday night. He received multiple standing ovations throughout the night and a handful of "Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!" chants.
Sanders claimed the Koch brothers alone will spend $900 million in this election cycle, more than either the Democrats or Republicans.
"Brothers and sisters that is not called democracy that is called oligarchy," Sanders said. "It is no accident that Jeb Bush and Republicans who want to take huge amounts of money from the wealthy and the powerful come up with an agenda that represents the wealthy and the powerful."
Sanders went on to talk about his platform of free education for all Americans, a higher minimum wage, mandatory overtime pay. increased social programs snf taxing Wall Street at every turn.
"My point is that on issue after issue when you bring them back into the open you find that the Republican Party os a fringe party whose views are so out of touch," he said.
Not everyone in the crowd was a Bernie supporter. A group of protesters stood outside the entrance, one with a sign reading "Live the dream Bernie, move to China." He said that Sanders' economic agenda would bring America back into another recession.
"I have a degree in economics I graduated in a time where the economy was destroyed, 2011," Peter Ildefonzo said. "When I hear people like Bernie Sanders talk about the things that got us into this problem, it flies in the face of all logic and all things good."
While there were many die-hard Sanders fans in the crowd wearing "Bernie 2016" t-shirts and buttons, some were there to see who this unknown senator from Vermont is and why is he posing a threat to Hillary Clinton.
"I know a lot about Hillary, but I don't know a lot about him. I would like to hear both sides before I make a decision," Arlington resident Reva Buda said. "I don't think it should be only focusing on Hillary, Having more competition in the race will be interesting to give real answers from her. She can't just say generic things now."
Ken Meyercord came up to watch the event from Reston to learn more about the event. He described himself as having "socialist tendencies" and wanted to check out the race early on.
"Bernie Sanders seems different and interesting. Being a socialist is very different for America. He seems to be popular," Meyercord said. "I certainly hope he could pose a threat to Hillary. I don't understand her popularity, frankly."