Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) dropped by his New North End polling place shortly after 7 a.m. to cast an early vote on a chilly Super Tuesday.

“Our hope is that we can win a number of states,” he told reporters outside Burlington's Robert Miller Community and Recreation Center, where Ward 7 voters cast their ballots. “And in those states where we don’t do well, obviously we want as large a vote as possible. The goal of today is to end up with as many delegates as we possibly can.”

It's a crucial day for Sanders' presidential campaign, with Democratic contests in 11 states and 880 delegates on the line. In his brief remarks to the local and national press, the candidate acknowledged the stakes.

“I am confident that if there is a large voter turnout today across this country, then we're going to do well,” he said. “If not, we're probably going to be struggling. But I hope there will be millions of people coming out and participating in what I call the political revolution, which is millions of people demanding that we have a government that represents all of us, and not just wealthy campaign contributors.”

“So, it's great to be back here in Vermont ...” he continued, pausing when a man passing by hollered, “Let's go, Bernie!” 

“There you go,” Sanders said.

“After a lot of deliberation, I know that Bernie Sanders here in Vermont got at least one vote,” he joked. “I was working on my wife. Maybe I got two.” 

He got at least one more, from Mark Rowell, who arrived at the community center on a bicycle before Sanders did. Rowell stuck around, handing out literature urging voters to vote no on question No. 2, which would advise the city to keep four lanes of North Avenue devoted to vehicular traffic.

“I voted for Bernie Sanders,” Rowell said. “He's my neighbor. His message is pretty refreshing.”