Town hall meetings have turned heated in recent weeks for many Republican politicians. But Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Senator Ed Markey met a very different kind of crowd Thursday night in Northampton.

The line to get into Markey’s town hall at Smith College stretched down the block. More than 600 crowded into auditorium. Even more filled an overflow room.

Markey said that liberal political activism is what’s to be expected in Western Massachusetts.

“The American Revolution started right here. The abolition movement started right here,” he said. “The gay marriage movement, it started here.”

Markey spent over an hour responding to questions from the crowd. He drew big applause on issues Democrats across the country have rallied behind: fighting climate change, protecting the Affordable Care Act and opposing President Trump’s immigration restrictions.