Group of Republicans protest Bernie Sanders during Houston visit

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - A crowd of roughly 3,000 people packed into Discovery Green Wednesday evening rallying in support of presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.

The Vermont Senator touched on a number of issues that resonated strongly with the crowd including healthcare for all, equal pay and comprehensive immigration reform.

“We need immediate legal protection for the 1.8 million young people in the DACA program,” Sanders said during his speech.  

Many Houstonians in the crowd say they've been supporting Bernie since the 77-year-old rose to the national spotlight during the 2016 elections.

“Consistency with his message, integrity as a person,” Sabali Watkins said.

“Nobody had really tackled the minimum wage issue so that was the thing that got my attention the most,” Meme Anderson said.

Not everyone was as enthusiastic. 

A group of conservative Republicans gathered downtown today to protest democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Republican activist Jacob Way staged the rally to bring awareness to opposition of Sanders and his support of so-called "Democratic Socialism."

Some have even followed his political journey for nearly four decades.

“I lived in Vermont for a while so I’ve been aware of him and his career and his absolute commitment to principals over decades,” Patricia Ryan said.

Others were so inspired by his message, it brought them to tears.

“I want his agenda so bad. I’m 30. I want to have a family. I want to be able to retire and feel secure. I want to buy a house. I’m in debt,” Amanda Chang said.

Ultimately, his supporters say Wednesday's rally left them feeling hopeful for what's to come in 2020.

“Diverse people, a lot of people with different backgrounds and that’s encouraging, right? It’s encouraging to see those different types of people come out,” Jeremy Sutton said.

“I’m trying to find any flyers I can pass out, anything I can do for the political party to spread awareness and get more supporters. It’s gotten to the point where now I feel like I don’t have a choice but to do something,” said Meme Anderson.