In the roughly 24 hours after Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders sent a fundraising appeal for state Rep. Joe Salazar and a handful of other legislative candidates across the country, the Thornton Democrat raked in more than $50,000 in donations – and the funds were continuing to pour in at a rate of about $1,000 an hour, he said Wednesday afternoon.

“No president, not Bernie Sanders, not the greatest president you could possibly imagine, can take on the billionaire class alone,” wrote Sanders in an email sent to supporters on Tuesday afternoon. “And that’s because change never happens from the top down, it always occurs from the bottom up. That’s why today I am announcing my support for eight progressive state legislative candidates who embody the spirit of our political revolution.”

Sanders, who has built a powerful fundraising machine based on small contributions – $27 is the average, he’s fond of saying on the stump – added, “It’s up to us to transform the future of the Democratic Party, and that’s why I am proud to ask: Can I count on you to split a $97 contribution to our campaign and a great slate of progressive state legislative candidates as a way of saying we are going to fight to transform our country, and the Democratic Party, from the bottom up?”

Salazar, who was among the first Colorado officials to endorse Sanders and has been a prominent and vocal supporter since the Vermont senator scored nearly 20-point win over Hillary Clinton in Colorado’s March caucuses, was listed along with seven other legislative candidates.

“Joe Salazar is a representative to Colorado’s state house who is a tireless advocate for stopping fracking, protecting civil rights, and advancing criminal justice reform,” Sanders wrote. “He won his last election by just 221 votes, and your support will go a long way to helping him win this year.”

Salazar told The Colorado Statesman he was stunned by the endorsement and nearly overwhelmed by the outpouring of support he’d received.

“People have been responding in a way I didn’t anticipate,” he said, adding that he’s been getting phone calls from people from across the country wanting to know how else they can contribute to his campaign.

“I stand behind a candidate who really stands behind us,” Salazar said. “There are people across the nation and quite a few elected officials who support Bernie Sanders and have worked really hard for Bernie. To be selected out of all those people – I can’t even express how honored I feel about that.”

As of about 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Salazar said the online fundraising site linked in the Sanders email had tallied $55,000 in contributions to his campaign, and the total was still growing.

By comparison, that’s already more than he raised or spent in either of his two successful runs for the House District 31 seat he represents. Salazar raised $54,163 in 2012 and $27,020 in 2014. According to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the state, Salazar had raised $14,211 in this year’s cycle and had $9,162 on hand.

He’s facing a challenge from Republican Jessica Sandgren, a former teacher, in the Adams County seat. According to her most recent filings, she had raised $12,443 through May 11 and had $9,700 on hand.

“The oil and gas industry has promised to come after me, and they’re going to make good on their promise,” Salazar said, referencing legislation he sponsored earlier this year intended to hold energy producers responsible for some kinds of damage caused by drilling operations. “This endorsement by Bernie Sanders is going to help me battle back at that big industry.”

– ernest@coloradostatesman.com