HARTFORD – With a new poll showing a virtual dead heat between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in Connecticut, the candidates will both hold get-out-the-vote rallies Monday ahead of the primary on Tuesday.

Sen. Sanders, fresh off a gathering on the New Haven Green that drew thousands Sunday evening, spoke to supporters in Hartford at Riverfront Park. Former president Bill Clinton will hold get-out-the-vote rallies in Hartford and New Haven. Connecticut and four other Northeastern state hold primaries Tuesday.

A Public Policy Polling survey released early Monday showed Clinton ahead of Sanders by just 2 points. The Public Policy Polling survey also found that Clinton and Sanders are in a tight race in Rhode Island, but that Hillary holds a 10-point lead in delegate-rich Pennsylvania. Trump holds wide leads in all three states, the poll found.

Speaking to more than 1,000 Monday morning in Hartford, Sanders took a few moments to criticize Hillary Clinton, but spent much of his time pressing his liberal, pro-union agenda of restoring the middle class. In an hour-long stump speech he criticized corporations, "grotesque wealth," the mainstream media, the pharmaceutical industry and "the rigged economy."

"It is not only inequality in wealth,'' Sanders said. "We do not have to accept the status quo. We do not have to step over people sleeping out on the street. We do not have to accept that in this great city of Hartford almost 50 percent of children are living in poverty ... Why is it that millions of people today are working longer hours for lower wages?"

"This is the wealthiest country in the history of the world. Marriages are being shattered because people don't have time to spend with each other,'' Sanders said. "We are going to create an economy that works for all of our people."

Before he was to speak at a get-out-the-vote rally for his wife in Hartford late Friday afternoon, Bill Clinton joined U.S. Rep. John Larson and others at Augie and Ray's Drive In, an East Hartford restaurant. Word leaked about the former president and the restaurant was jammed with Clinton supporters eager to take selfies.

Clinton worked his way through a crowded parking lot and a packed restaurant shaking hands and posing for photos.

"It's very exciting," said Pat Christiana, of Manchester. She was a volunteer for Clinton in 1996 in Connecticut. She wore a Clinton for Connecticut 1996 pin when she met the former president.

"Vote Hillary," Clinton said, as he stopped for another photo outside after spending about 20 minutes in the restaurant.

At the Sanders rally, supporters started showing up in Hartford early on the morning after the Vermont senator attracted thousands to a rally on the New Haven Green.

"I feel if I come today and I vote tomorrow and other youth come today and vote tomorrow then we can actually make a difference I believe,'' said Nicholas Barros, 21, from Coventry. "We need more people getting involved, more people voting."

Nearby, Melanie Roper, from Southington, arrived with her sons Henry, 13 and Ben, 11.

"I'm here with my children to see Bernie Sanders. It's important to start early, to get your kids involved," Roper said. "I support Bernie. He really represents what we want to see for the future,'' she said.

"He gives us something to strive for, to be better human beings,'' Roper said.

Sara Robinson, 17, of Coventry, came to the rally with Frida Kraagebakk, an exchange student from Norway studying at her school.

"I know there's two hours left but we were running here," Robinson said. "We couldn't wait."

The Sanders and Clinton campaign push comes after a busy political weekend in Connecticut. The Clinton-Sanders contest remains close in Connecticut, where last week's Quinnipiac Poll showed Clinton with a 9 point lead, but where the latest poll shows a dead heat.

In an interview before his speech in Hartford, Sanders remained committed to the campaign and winning the nomination.

"We are in this thing to win. We think we have a good chance to win here in Connecticut, in Rhode Island, maybe some other states tomorrow. We're going to fight to win the Democratic nomination," Sanders said.

"But if I win or if I lose what has happened in this campaign is millions of people have become involved in the political process."

On Friday evening, Ohio Gov. John Kasich spoke in Glastonbury and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump held rallies in Waterbury and Bridgeport on Saturday. While Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has avoided Connecticut, there were news reports Monday that he was teaming up with Kasich to try to block Trump from winning enough delegates to capture the Republican nomination before the party convention this summer.

The Public Policy Polling survey in Connecticut found Trump leading Kisch by a 59-to-25 margin, with Cruz trailing at 13 percent.

In her second Connecticut appearance of the weekend, Clinton warned supporters about what she said was a "dangerous'' threat of Trump and Cruz.

"What you hear Trump and Cruz say, it's not only offensive, it's dangerous," she said, telling the audience that the candidates have painted all Muslims as potential enemies of America. To defeat ISIS, Clinton said, "We have to build a coalition with majority Muslim nations.''

Late Sunday, the Clinton Campaign announced that Bill Clinton would join former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in Hartford and New Haven on Monday. They will appear at Pope Park in Hartford at 4 p.m. and at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven at 6:30 p.m.

According to the Associated Press, Clinton leads Sanders by a 1,941-to-1,191 margin. On Tuesday, Democratic voters in Rhode Island, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut will decide who gets a total of 463 delegates, including Superdelegates, who are not bound by the primary voting results.

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