Bernie's Heading to NM

Santa Fe is gonna feel the Bern after all.

Democratic presidential candidate and US Sen. Bernie Sanders is planning an appearance Friday afternoon at Santa Fe Community College, its spokeswoman, Janet Wise, tells SFR.

"It was literally just minutes ago that we got confirmation," Wise says, noting that the candidate's advance team checked out the school earlier.

The Sanders campaign says the  doors will open at 1 pm for the senator's  event at the college, which comes after before an event at Albuquerque convention center. Doors for the Duke City event open at 5 pm. RSVPs are "strongly encouraged."

"The college won't have any real control or role to play really in access," says Wise. As was the case when Barak Obama visited in 2008, "The Secret Service is in charge of security, and our campus security follows their instructions."

The Obama visit saw traffic backed up for miles between the school and Rodeo Road. This time, the college has an additional entrance that might help things flow more smoothly.

Wise says during the Obama visit, people who lined up early for admission got into the gym until it reached capacity.

"The semester is over, and the number of students we have taking classes on campus is somewhat less than it usually is. But I would certainly expect and hope that students here and students at the high schools would be interested in seeing this," Wise says. "As we learned with the Obama event, you can be part of history by taking advantage of opportunities like this. To see them and hear them in person is much different than on TV. It's really exciting to see a presidential candidate. Any candidate."

Hillary Clinton, Sanders' major rival for the Democratic nomination, visited Albuquerque last summer but did not hold any public events. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, has announced visits to Albuquerque and Española later this month. No Santa Fe campaign stop has been scheduled for the state, according to Victor Reyes, an official for New Mexico for Hillary.

The Sanders committee issued the following statement:

Santa Fe Reporter