Michael Forster Rothbart
A crowd of 18,400 people filled the Kohl Center on Tuesday for the Barack Obama rally in Madison.
Barack Obama drew an overflowing crowd of supporters to the Kohl Center on Tuesday night his first campaign stop in Wisconsin this year.
An estimated 18,400 persons filled the arena to record levels, with another 2,000 or so gathered in an overflow room, all watching the Illinois senator and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination deliver a victory speech following primary wins in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The audience was, needless to say, very excited.
Along with a variety of currently serving elected officials from around Madison and Wisconsin, former mayor Paul Soglin was in attendance at the event. "I decided three weeks ago to vote for Obama," he says. "I wouldn't be out here in the cold if I didn't support him. At least he's got the penguins vote."
Photos from the rally, including shots of Obama and his cheering supporters in a packed Kohl Center, can be viewed in the gallery above.
More details about the event are available in a report on and live-blogging of the rally.