Bernie Sanders Says 1,000,000 People Have Signed Up as Campaign Volunteers

It took less than one week, but the Bernie Sanders campaign on Monday announced that more than one million people have now volunteered to support the senator's 2020 bid.

"We did it," Sanders said in an email just before noon. "We hit this first important goal we needed to reach if we're going to win this campaign. But the truth is, that goal is just a start."

While the campaign generated headlines last week by raising nearly $6 million in its first 24 hours--including approximately $600,000 in recurring monthly giving--hitting its volunteer goal in less than six days shows that there's plenty of energy among the progressive base of his supporters.

Sanders has said that key to his campaign's ability to succeed will be the creation of what has been characterized as his "grassroots army," one large enough and politically powerful enough to take on the special interests that are certain to oppose the agenda he has put forth.

Such political and corporate interests, Sanders explained to supporters in his Monday email, "have unlimited amounts of money to spend on campaigns and lobbying and have huge influence over the media and political parties." On the key issues, Sanders argues, it will be essential for organized people to take a stand against the organized money that such interests have at their disposal:

Because if we are going to pass Medicare for All, we are going to have to take on the insurance companies.

If we are going to lower drug prices, we're going to have to take on the pharmaceutical industry.

If we are going to pass universal background checks and an assault weapons ban, we're going to have to take on the NRA.

If we're going to pass a Green New Deal and fight climate change, we're going to have to take on the fossil fuel industry.

If we're going to shut down private prisons, we are going to have to take on and defeat a very powerful private prison industry.

If we are going to have a foreign policy that focuses on democracy, human rights, diplomacy and world peace, we are going to have to take on the military industrial complex.

If we are going to create trade policies that reflect the interests of working people, we are going to have to take on very large and powerful multi-national corporations.

If we are going to create an economy that works for all of us and not just the wealthy few, then we are going to have to take on Wall Street and the billionaire class in this country.

In the video, Sanders concludes by thanking the one million people who have already signed up to help his campaign. "And let me ask those of you who haven't," he added, "come on board."