Despite national media crowning candidate Hillary Clinton winner of the Democratic debate, Bernie Sanders supporters are satisfied with the Vermont senator’s performance.

It’s been a week since the five candidates running for the Democratic nomination appeared on the national stage together for the first time to debate the issues.

“Overall, I think he did really, really well,” said Rosie Cook, freshman in pre-business and president of Students for Bernie. “I think he fumbled a little with foreign policy, but I hope that means he can grow from that in the future.” 

Despite being the underdog, the self-described “Democratic-socialist” has gained more supporters than analysts ever expected, but a majority of polls still indicate Sanders being behind Clinton.

Cook said Sanders exemplified his no-smear campaign when speaking to other candidates, and expressed his policy well.

“I knew he wasn’t going to attack Hillary,” said McKinly Springer, junior in pre-business and a recruiter for Students for Bernie.

Springer said he thought Sanders’s choice to not attack Clinton was the right move, including Sanders’s now infamous comment about Clinton’s emails.

“I think he did a very good job,” Springer said. 

As for how Sanders compared to Hillary Clinton, Mack Shelley, professor of political science, said Sanders and Clinton do see eye to eye on a few things, but Sanders’ stance on gun control could be a problem.

“He certainly got in trouble over gun control,” Shelley said.

During the debate, Clinton said Sanders was too soft when it came to gun control, although, Sanders’ more moderate position on gun control could help. “He might actually be in better position to attract independent voters,” Shelley said.

Shelley also said many independents as well as some Democrats still find Clinton to be untrustworthy.

“She does have a lot of baggage from when she was first lady and from her Senate votes,” Shelley said.

He said once former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s campaign ends, Sanders would be more likely to gain O’Malley’s followers. However, Shelley thinks Clinton receiving the Democratic nomination is inevitable.

“For the longer haul, I don’t think [Sanders] is likely to get the nomination,” he said.

Sanders’ struggle in defining his economic policy of Democratic-socialism to Americans keeps him from gaining traction, Shelley said.

“It’s not a term most Americans are familiar with,” Shelley said.

He said Americans also tend to associate socialism with communism, which can be a hard thing to disentangle.

The Democrats are set to be in Iowa this weekend for the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Des Moines, and they will debate again Nov. 14 in Des Moines.