Bernie Sanders visits King Center, eats fried chicken with Killer Mike

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., works the crowd at the Jenkins Orphanage in North Charleston, S.C., on Saturday. AP/Mic Smith

Credit: Jim Galloway

Credit: Jim Galloway

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., works the crowd at the Jenkins Orphanage in North Charleston, S.C., on Saturday. AP/Mic Smith

Ahead of an evening rally at the Fox Theater, Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has been making the rounds in Atlanta today.

First he stopped at the King Center, where he met with Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter, and toured the civil rights leader's crypt.

The Associated Press reported Sanders' reaction:

Sanders, a 74-year-old who participated in the famous 1963 march that concluded with King's "I Have a Dream" speech, noted that the event was officially "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom."

"Sometimes people forget he was assassinated because he stood up with sanitation workers fighting for decent wages and decent working conditions," Sanders said, referring to King being shot in 1968 in Memphis, where he went to support striking workers.

Then it was off to the Busy Bee Cafe, where Sanders had a meal with Atlanta rapper and political gadfly Michael Render -- a.k.a. Killer Mike -- who will introduce Sanders this evening.

Meanwhile, a crowd has gathered at the Fox awaiting Sanders' arrival. Read the story about his speech here.

Many expressed a barely concealed contempt for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, who holds a wide lead among the primarily black base that makes up the party's electorate in the South.

Nick Selby, a Georgia Tech student who waited with two friends outside for Sanders' arrival, canvassed for Barack Obama in 2012 but he's not nearly as thrilled with Clinton's campaign this year. He hardly hesitated when asked why he supported the Vermont senator over Clinton.

"My biggest issue is campaign finance reform. There are plenty of other issues, but they can't get accomplished until we solve campaign finance reform," said Selby, adding: "I don't think Hillary will be able to get young voters super excited. It's hard to defend someone with her record."