Bernie Sanders kicks off cross-country tour, wants change

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Independent Vermont U.S. senator and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is calling for a radical transformation of the Democratic Party.

Sanders and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez launched a cross-country tour together Monday in Maine, where Sanders won the Democratic presidential caucuses. The 10-day tour will take them from Portland to Nevada.

Sanders says the Democratic Party must stop ignoring half the nation’s states and take on corporate greed on behalf of the working class.

Perez urges attendees to resist Republican President Donald Trump by winning seats in Congress, statehouses and school boards.

Sanders earned nearly two-thirds of the ballots cast in Maine’s Democratic presidential caucuses to beat Hillary Clinton.

Some attendees say it’s time to unite the party. Others say they’re skeptical of political parties and big money in politics.