by Evan McMorris-Santoro,BuzzFeed NewsBuzzFeed's Evan McMorris-Santoro was the print pool reporter at campaign events in Marshalltown, Iowa. Here is the complete, unedited report issued Sunday at 7:23 pm:Sen. Bernie Sanders said he's in a "tossup" race with Secretary Clinton in brief remarks to a crowd of volunteers at his Marshalltown, IA field office Sunday.With a little more than 24 hours to go before the Democratic caucuses begin, Sanders thanked Iowans for "taking their responsibility very seriously" during the opening months of the 2016 presidential campaign.
The race is as close as it can be, Sanders said.
"Now, basically, I think everybody agrees, this is a tossup caucus," he said. "Some polls have us a few points up, some polls have us a few points down. But it is a very very tight situation."
Sanders' reiterated his main focus of the past month in Iowa: turnout, turnout turnout.
"Here is my prediction. Does anybody want to hear what my prediction is?"
The crowd wanted to hear it.
"My prediction is that iftomorrownight there is a large voter turnout we win," Sanders said. "On the other hand, if there is a low voter turnout, we'll probably lose."
Sanders thanked Iowans for hearing him out along the way from polls showing double-digit deficits to Clinton to recent surveys showing the pair running essentially neck-and-neck.
"The people of Iowa do understand the responsibility, unique responsibility that they have, in terms of the presidential selection process," he said.
"And I know that there are people who have come to our meetings, who have gone to Sec. Clinton's meetings, have gone to Gov. O'Malley's meetings because they are serious," he went on. "They are trying to figure out which candidate they think can represent them best. So I applaud the people of Iowa for accepting and taking their responsibility very seriously."
Sanders was already speaking with progressive media personality Ed Schultz outside Sanders' Marshalltown, IA campaign office when the pool arrived. The Bernie Bus was pulled up right out front of the Marshalltown office, a small space at 30 Main Street. Sanders entered the office with his wife Jane and spoke for less than 10 minutes.
He offered a truncated version of his stump speech, calling for an increase in the minimum wage, health care for all, a tax system built to promote economic equality, opposition to trade and other tenets of his campaign.
He closed his remarks by thanking his younger supporters.
"Now some of your friends, young people say, 'why do you want to get involved in politics. What a dumb and lame idea that is,'" he said. "Well you tell them that you understand something very profound. And that is if you are not fighting for your rights, who's going to fight for you?"
The powerful "don't want you to participate," Sanders said.
Evan McMorris-Santoro
BuzzFeed News
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