Robert Digrazia, 72, of Hollis, New Hampshire. "My sense is that Bernie is on my side."

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bernie Sanders is attracting Americans who are in search of more than a protest vote.

Yes, Sanders' backers say, they're frustrated with a system they believe is rigged for the wealthy. But many say their support for the Vermont senator in the Democratic presidential race is also driven by real hope in his promise of a political revolution and a belief that his ideas are bold enough to bring economic security to the middle class.

"Bernie's got the gumption and the persistence to win and be a good president," said Dick Champagne, 74, an independent New Hampshire voter who is backing Sanders and volunteering for his campaign after first favoring Trump.

Those backing Sanders or leaning his way give the senator credit for thinking big and being willing to upend a system they no longer believe is working for the middle class.

"I just like a gutsy guy that doesn't have his hair combed perfect and all that," Emmett Lahr, a 75-year-old from Glidden, Iowa, said of the rumpled Sanders.

But it's more than that. Lahr had planned to vote for Hillary Clinton, but says he's now "90 percent switched" to Sanders, largely because of what Sanders wants to do for the economy.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/sanders-attracting-voters-seeking-more-protest-vote-135736332--election.html