BURLINGTON, Vermont -- Burlington, a tiny city on the shores of Lake Champlain. isn't usually a focal point of the presidential primary.
But this year, things are different: This is Bernie Sanders country.
Though a native New Yorker, Sanders has called Burlington home for nearly five decades, and the city has rallied behind him in the lead up to Vermont's primary on Super Tuesday as he makes a push for the Democratic nomination.
Sanders and his wife Jane cast their primary votes in the city on Tuesday morning, displaying a laid-back demeanor as they cast their ballots at a local recreation center.
In Burlington, Sanders isn't just a familiar face, having served first the city's mayor for nine years and then for decades representing the state in the House and Senate. He has also becoming a quirky icon that many in the city have thrown their support behind.
"Yup, I feel the Bern," prints spotted at art store in Burlington #SuperTuesday pic.twitter.com/bqHi6x4hW4— Megan Specia (@meganspecia) March 1, 2016
Shops stock "Feel the Bern" t-shirts, sell prints of art pieces dedicated to the Senator, and whip up sandwiches named after everyone's favorite gray-haired socialist. And a local craft brewery has even dedicated their most recent beer to the city's most famous politician.
The can features a shaggy-haired, red, white and blue caricature of Sanders, created by brewery co-founder Matt Wilson.
"A slightly sour and forward-thinking Berliner weisse," from @zerogravitybeer. Owner says they sold half already pic.twitter.com/6nux3vMHuE— Megan Specia (@meganspecia) March 1, 2016
"To have a Vermonter in the running for the presidency, it’s special for everybody, regardless of your politics," said Wilson. "There are obviously people that will never understand him...and other prospective voters who thinks he walks on water. But I think that we are all happy to seem him representing the state."
Zero gravity brewery's Bernie Weissen just in time for #SuperTuesday pic.twitter.com/6bHrOHJhg9— Megan Specia (@meganspecia) March 1, 2016
On the afternoon of Super Tuesday, Wilson still wasn't sure which candidate he would be supporting but he said that didn't really factor into the decision to brew the beer, which was released to coincide with Super Tuesday.
"What we're really celebrating today is a Vermonter reflecting his independence and his progressive views," said Wilson.
.@zerogravitybeer founder Matt Wilson designed the "Bernie Weissen" can himself #SuperTuesday pic.twitter.com/7h6CLOg3qL— Megan Specia (@meganspecia) March 1, 2016
Wilson was not alone in his Vermont pride for Sanders.
Barbie Alsop, a retiree who has volunteered with Sanders' presidential campaign since its earliest days, said she wished every voter could sit down and chat directly with a Vermonter about the legacy Senator Sanders has in the state.
"The numbers here are going to tell you exactly how important Bernie is to this state," said Alsop. "Because we have lived with this man."
On Tuesday, she joined dozens of others manning phones at Sanders' campaign headquarters in Burlington and has canvassed for Sanders in Vermont and Massachusetts.
Spotted en route to Bernie Sanders' Burlington rally #SuperTuesday pic.twitter.com/IdZgsSEA6l— Megan Specia (@meganspecia) March 1, 2016
Though Sanders is expected to clinch victory in Vermont with a huge margin over rival Hillary Clinton — recent polls show him with over 86 percent of the Democratic vote — volunteers at the headquarters know he is up against a tougher fight in other states. Despite that, Alsop and others at the Burlington office are here for the long haul.
Alsop said no matter what the outcome on Super Tuesday, she planned to stand by Sanders side and thinks he should stick to campaigning through to the bitter end.
"You gotta let people be heard all across the country," she said, emphasizing that late-primary states still played a pivotal role in the nomination process. "The people who vote in the later states, it's not their fault that their states are late. Those people have a voice too."