CHICAGO — United States Senator Bernie Sanders rallied thousands at the University of Illinois Chicago Thursday to vote for a fellow progressive Brandon Johnson.

“We together are going to make sure that Brandon Johnson is the next mayor of this city,” Sen. Sanders said.

The rally was the culmination of a packed day on the campaign trail.

Both Johnson and his opponent Paul Vallas meeting for their final debate before election day.

The forum hosted by University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, WBEZ and The Chicago Sun-Times highlighted the differences in the candidates’ positions on school safety – in the wake of Monday’s school shooting in Nashville.

“I believe police officers need to be at the entrance of the school the very least in the parking lot,” Vallas said.

“If policing in and of itself kept us all safe, we would be the safest city in America,” Johnson said.

Johnson spent time meeting with nurses, noting the rising violence they face on the job.

Vallas kicked off his day on the Northwest Side in Belmont Cragin, picking up endorsements from Latino faith leaders.

“The faith based organizations can play a critical role in the mentoring and tutoring and character development,” Vallas said earlier Thursday.

He also snapped photos with voters at the Cubs home opener and headed to the South Side for the White Sox watch party

Both candidates covering as much ground as they can, crossing paths with as many voters as they can, before Tuesday’s runoff.

“This is going to be a close election and the deciding factor will be voter turnout,” Sen. Sanders told the UIC crowd.