Sanders courts thousands in Alabama on MLK Day

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sought to shore up support among voters in the south late Monday with a rally in Birmingham, Ala., that drew about 7,000 supporters, according to his presidential campaign.

{mosads}The Democratic candidate spoke at the rally on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day hours after making remarks on the Capitol steps in Columbia, S.C.

His evening rally at Birmingham’s Boutwell Auditorium drew 5,700 supporters inside and another 1,400 watched from an overflow area in sub-freezing weather, according to his campaign.

The auditorium is typically used as a warming station for the city’s homeless during freezing weather, but was instead used for the Sanders rally Monday, local media noted.

Sanders, who battled rival Hillary Clinton during the fourth Democratic debate Sunday night, is looking to make inroads with minority voters weeks before ballots are cast in early voting states.

The pair made pitches for their electability during dueling rallies Monday night, with Sanders quipping at his rally in Alabama that “that inevitable candidate ain’t so inevitable today.”

Clinton, meanwhile, implored supporters in Toledo, Iowa, to show up at the Feb. 1 caucuses, saying, “There is a complicated job waiting for the next president that we have to make sure we get right.”