MPR News Staff

The front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination will be in Minnesota the night before the state’s presidential primary.

Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has scheduled a rally for 7:30 p.m. Monday at the St. Paul RiverCentre.

Minnesota and more than a dozen other states hold primaries on Tuesday.

A recent MPR News/Star Tribune poll showed Sen. Amy Klobuchar with a slight lead over Sanders in Minnesota with lots of voters undecided. Sanders has outperformed Klobuchar in other states so far, and won both the New Hampshire primary and the Nevada caucuses.

The Sanders campaign says the Monday rally is free and open to the public and that doors open at 5:30.

“Bernie Sanders lights up Minnesota, man. When he shows up here people turn up. And it doesn’t matter if it’s raining or shining or what,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, one of Sanders’ key supporters in the state. “Bernie Sanders is extremely popular and draws a big crowd in the state of Minnesota. So, I’m looking forward to it. We’re going to have fun.”