How volunteers are essentially running the Bernie Sanders campaign

The Bernie army.
(Image credit: Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

Bernie Sanders' tens of thousands of volunteers have already made 47 million phone calls on their presidential candidate's behalf. That's on track to pass President Obama's 2012 campaign total, Politico reports.

Sanders isn't hurting for paid staffers, either — he has 865 to Hillary Clinton's 765 — but Politico suggests he's harnessing his vast network of volunteers in a way no candidate has before, as Sanders campaigners are charged with identifying likely voters and making sure people show up to campaign events.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.