With the series of polls showing Sanders at the top of the field in the first states — two more came out on Sunday alone, along with a national poll that has Sanders and Biden nearly tied — there is a feeling of palpable anticipation inside and around the campaign over what backlash, if any, might be coming.

“In these last eight days, things are gonna get crazy,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Sunday. “I don’t even know what’s gonna happen. And that’s why we’ve gotta stay focused and committed as possible.”

“And let’s make it joyous, y’all,” she said to cheers. “Let’s make it joyous.”…

Michael Moore, the documentary filmmaker who joined Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez at seven campaign stops this weekend, told supporters, “The knives are out.”

“The rich woke up this morning, and they read these articles and they’re like, ‘Oh no, oh no, what are we going to do?’ So we’ll see what they’re going to do.”