Bernie Sanders urges voters to rally behind Hillary Clinton

IOWA CITY — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders urged Iowa voters to rally behind former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and what he called 'the most progressive party platform in the history of the United States.'

'My guess is Hillary will win or lose by a few percentage points,' Sanders said during an afternoon rally Friday in Iowa City. 'Your job is, my job is, to make sure she wins by a few percentage points.'

Sanders, an independent from Vermont, spoke at College Green Park before a few hundred people just four days before the General Election and with Iowa's six electoral votes up in the air. Sanders pointed out shared views between him and Clinton, and chastised Republican nominee Donald Trump for avoiding paying taxes, among other issues.

Sanders, Clinton's primary rival in the primaries, discussed Clinton's plans for raising the minimum wage, making public colleges and universities tuition free and working changes into the criminal justice system, and her strong environmental policies to combat climate change.

'Free tuition — I like that,' said Kirk Thompson, 18, a University of Northern Iowa student who was visiting a friend who lives a few houses away from the park. Thompson said he was a delegate for Sanders but planned to vote for Clinton.

During Sanders's unexpectedly strong challenge of Clinton for the Democratic nomination, the longtime senator carried the torch for progressive issues. He found a receptive audience among millennials advocating for a 'political revolution,' taking on the 1-percenters and restoring economic balance in America.

He continued his message to 'transform this country' and urged those coming to his side who feel angry or disenfranchised — a similar sentiment expressed by some Trump voters — to take their 'anger out on the right people' and go beyond the candidate's personalities.

Support for Sanders seems to remain strong, particularly in the college town of Iowa City.

While some reports have said Democratic Party leaders had derided the Sanders campaign, Sanders still urged voters to get behind Clinton.

Meghan McGonigal-Kenney, 38, of North Liberty wore a shirt made up of a collage of Bernie Sanders faces to the event and displayed a sign declaring, 'If I can't vote for Bernie Sanders, I will vote for Jill Stein,' who is the Green Party candidate. She said she won't cast a vote for Clinton out of fear just because 'she is afraid of Trump.'

Event volunteers handed out 'Stronger Together' signs to the crowd in an attempt to block out the sign, prompting McGonigal-Kenney and her two young children to relocate to another spot, where a similar effort took place.

'I have never been bullied like that before,' she said.

During his Iowa swing, Sanders also stopped in Davenport, and planned visits in Cedar Falls and Ames.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad took notice of Sanders' time in Iowa.

'Bernie Sanders has spent the day traveling across Iowa in support of Hillary Clinton's campaign that is faltering every day,' Branstad said in a statement. 'It is clear that Mr. Trump has the momentum and Iowa is ready to Make America Great Again. We need a president that is committed to protecting this country and will focus on creating jobs and getting this economy going again.'