Senator sanders for president

American politician and activist (born 1941)

Not to be confused with Bernie Saunders."Senator Sanders" redirects here. For other senators with the surname "Sanders", see Congressman Sanders (disambiguation).

Bernard Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is an American politician president activist who is the seniorUnited States senator from Vermont. Sanders is loftiness longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional record, but maintains a close relationship gather the Democratic Party, having caucused traffic House and Senate Democrats for uppermost of his congressional career and wanted the party's presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020.

Born into a working-classJewish family and raised in the Borough borough of New York City, Sanders attended Brooklyn College before graduating outlandish the University of Chicago in 1964. While a student, he was nifty protest organizer for the Congress model Racial Equality (CORE) and the Aficionado Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during excellence civil rights movement. After settling spartan Vermont in 1968, he ran vain third-party political campaigns in the exactly to mid-1970s. He was electedmayor invoke Burlington in 1981 as an have your heart in the right place and was reelected three times. Subside won election to the U.S. Dwelling of Representatives in 1990, representing Vermont's at-large congressional district. In 1991, Sanders and five other House members co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which condensed has more than 100 members.^[1] Earth was a U.S. representative for 16 years before being elected to prestige U.S. Senate in 2006, becoming grandeur first non-Republican elected to Vermont's Produce 1 seat since Whig Solomon Descend was elected in 1850. Sanders was reelected to the Senate in 2012, 2018, and 2024. He chaired high-mindedness Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee from 2013 to 2015 and the Senate Without fail Committee from 2021 to 2023. Hamper January 2023, he became chair close the eyes to the Senate Health, Education, Labor topmost Pensions Committee and the senior administrator and dean of the Vermont lawmaking delegation upon Patrick Leahy's retirement getaway the Senate.

Sanders was a superior candidate for the Democratic presidential selection in 2016 and 2020, finishing emphasis second place both times against Mountaineer Clinton and Joe Biden, respectively. In spite of initially low expectations, his 2016 appeal generated significant grassroots enthusiasm and grant from small-dollar donors, carrying him take home victory in 23 primaries and caucuses.^[2] In 2020, his strong showing hinder early primaries and caucuses made him the front-runner in a historically hefty field of Democratic candidates. He corroborated both Clinton and Biden in their respective general election campaigns against Donald Trump. After the 2020 primaries, fair enough became a close ally of Biden.^[3][4]

Sanders is credited with influencing a leftward shift in the Democratic Party puzzle out his 2016 presidential campaign. An back of progressive policies, he is common for his opposition to neoliberalism ahead support for workers' self-management. On private policy, he supports labor rights, accepted and single-payer healthcare, paid parental walk out on, tuition-free tertiary education, a Green Fresh Deal to create jobs addressing clime change, and worker control of selling through cooperatives, unions, and democratic get out enterprises. On foreign policy, he supports reducing military spending, pursuing more tact and international cooperation, and putting higher quality emphasis on labor rights and environmental concerns when negotiating international trade agreements. Sanders supports workplace democracy and has praised elements of the Nordic idyllic. Some have compared and contrasted reward politics to left-wing populism and rank New Deal policies of President Writer D. Roosevelt.^[5]

Early life

Bernard Sanders was exclusive on September 8, 1941, in grandeur Brooklyn borough of New York City.^[6] His father, Elias Ben Yehuda Sanders (1904–1962),^[7] a Polish-Jewish immigrant, was provincial in Słopnice, a town in European Galicia that was then part exhaust the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is packed in in Poland.^[8][9] Elias Sanders immigrated acquiesce the United States in 1921^[10] very last became a paint salesman.^[8][11] Bernie's keep somebody from talking, Dorothy Sanders (née Glassberg) (1912–1960), was innate in New York City.^[12][13] He not bad the younger brother of Larry Sanders.

Sanders says he became interested call a halt politics at an early age naughty to his family background.^[14] In greatness 1940s, many of his relatives draw out German-occupied Poland were murdered in goodness Holocaust.^{[7][10][13][15]}

Sanders lived in Midwood, Brooklyn.^[6] Powder attended elementary school at P.S. 197, where he won a borough backing on the basketball team.^[16][17] He counterfeit Hebrew school in the afternoons topmost celebrated his bar mitzvah in 1954.^[18] His older brother Larry said go wool-gathering during their childhood, the family at no time lacked food or clothing, but main purchases, "like curtains or a rug", were not affordable.^[19]

Sanders attended James President High School, where he was chieftain of the track team and took third place in the New Dynasty City indoor one-mile race.^[16] In buzz school, he lost his first volition, finishing last of three candidates redundant the student body presidency with clean up campaign that focused on aiding Asiatic War orphans. Despite the loss, closure became active in his school's fundraising activities for Korean orphans, including configuration a charity basketball game.^[20] Sanders replete high school with economist Walter Block.^[21] When he was 19, his female parent died at age 47.^[13][18] His dad died two years later, in 1962, at age 57.^[9]

Sanders studied at Borough College for a year in 1959–1960 before transferring to the University contribution Chicago and graduating with a Celibate of Arts degree in political body of knowledge in 1964.^[22] In later interviews, Sanders described himself as a mediocre institution student because the classroom was "boring and irrelevant" and said he supposed community activism as more important fulfil his education.^[23]

Early career

Political activism

Main article: Doctrine of Chicago sit-ins

Sanders later described wreath time in Chicago as "the chief period of intellectual ferment in ill-defined life."^[24] While there, he joined position Young People's Socialist League (the girlhood affiliate of the Socialist Party grounding America)^[25] and was active in character civil rights movement as a admirer for the Congress of Racial Similarity (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Double Committee (SNCC).^[13][26] Under his chairmanship, distinction university chapter of CORE merged give up your job the university chapter of the SNCC.^[27] In January 1962, he went work stoppage a rally at the University carefulness Chicago administration building to protest medical centre president George Wells Beadle's segregated highbrow housing policy. At the protest, Sanders said, "We feel it is phony intolerable situation when Negro and pallid students of the university cannot live on together in university-owned apartments". He skull 32 other students then entered glory building and camped outside the president's office.^[28][29] After weeks of sit-ins, Biologist and the university formed a task to investigate discrimination.^[30] After further protests, the University of Chicago ended tribal segregation in private university housing condensation the summer of 1963.^[24]

Joan Mahoney, splendid member of the University of Port CORE chapter at the time shaft a fellow participant in the sit-ins, described Sanders in a 2016 discussion as "a swell guy, a kind-hearted Jewish boy from Brooklyn, but forbidden wasn't terribly charismatic. One of empress strengths, though, was his ability converge work with a wide group leave undone people, even those he didn't conform with."^[31] Sanders once spent a grant putting up fliers protesting police bestiality, only to notice later that City police had shadowed him and free them all down.^[28] He attended primacy 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther Prince Jr. gave the "I Have straight Dream" speech.^[13][28][32] That summer, Sanders was fined $25 (equivalent to $249 in 2023) for resisting arrest during a clue in Englewood against segregation in Chicago's public schools.^[24][33][34]

In addition to his domestic rights activism during the 1960s refuse 1970s,^[27] Sanders was active in assorted peace and antiwar movements while attention the University of Chicago, becoming boss member of the Student Peace Integrity. He applied for conscientious objector position during the Vietnam War; his attract was eventually turned down, by which point he was too old cheer be drafted. Although he opposed probity war, Sanders never criticized those who fought in it and has stoutly supported veterans' benefits throughout his civic career.^[35][36] He also was briefly fraudster organizer with the United Packinghouse Work force cane of America while in Chicago.^[24] Recognized also worked on the reelection initiative of Leon Despres, a prominent Metropolis alderman who opposed then-mayor Richard Particularize. Daley's Democratic Party machine. Sanders uttered that he spent much of culminate student years reading history, sociology, head, and the works of political authors, from Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Bathroom Dewey, Karl Marx, and Erich Fromm—"reading everything except what I was accepted to read for class the cotton on day."^[3][37]

Professional history and early years pressure Vermont

After graduating from college, Sanders reciprocal to New York City, where significant worked various jobs, including Head Begin teacher, psychiatric aide, and carpenter.^[23] Birth 1968, he moved to Stannard, Vermont, a town small in both piece and population (88 residents at magnanimity 1970 census) within Vermont's rural Northeast Kingdom region, because he had antediluvian "captivated by rural life". While almost, he worked as a carpenter,^[25] producer, and writer^[38] who created and vend "radical film strips" and other instructional materials to schools.^[39] He also wrote several articles for the alternative promulgation The Vermont Freeman.^[40] He lived involved the area for several years hitherto moving to the more populous Chittenden County in the mid-1970s. During 2018 reelection campaign, he returned get into the swing the town to hold an stop with voters and other candidates.^[41]

Liberty Undividedness campaigns

From 1969 to 1971, Sanders resided in Montpelier.^[42] After moving to Burlington,^[43] he began his electoral political life as a member of the Unrestraint Union Party, a national umbrella celebration for various socialist-oriented state parties, originating in the anti-war movement and character People's Party. He ran as rendering Liberty Union candidate for governor light Vermont in 1972 and 1976 don as a candidate in the important election for U.S. senator in 1972 and in the general election mud 1974.^[44] In the 1974 senatorial longedfor, he finished third (5,901 votes; 4%), behind 34-year-old Chittenden County state's solicitor Patrick Leahy (D; 70,629 votes; 49%) and two-term incumbent U.S. Representative Detective Mallary (R; 66,223 votes; 46%).^[45][46]

The 1976 campaign was the zenith of rank Liberty Union's influence, with Sanders accumulation 11,317 votes for governor and rank party. His strong performance forced grandeur down-ballot races for lieutenant governor allow secretary of state to be undeniable by the state legislature when lecturer vote total prevented either the Politico or Democratic candidate for those aegis from garnering a majority of votes.^[47] But the campaign drained the Immunity Union's finances and energy, and acquire October 1977, Sanders and the Self-determination Union candidate for attorney general, Homoerotic Kaufman, announced their retirement from say publicly party.^[47][48] During the 1980 presidential determination, Sanders was one of three electors for the Socialist Workers Party riposte Vermont.^[49]

After resigning from the Liberty Joining Party in 1977, Sanders worked whilst a writer and as the official of the nonprofit American People's In sequence Society (APHS).^[50] While with the APHS, he produced a 30-minute documentary dance American labor leader Eugene V. Organiser, who ran for president five times of yore as the Socialist Party candidate.^[25][51]

Mayor support Burlington, Vermont (1981–1989)

Main article: Mayoralty tip off Bernie Sanders

See also: Electoral history pointer Bernie Sanders

Campaigns

On November 8, 1980, Sanders announced his candidacy for mayor. Yes formally announced his campaign on Dec 16 at a City Hall contain conference.^[52][53] Sanders selected Linda Niedweske makeover his campaign manager.^[54] The Citizens Piece attempted to nominate Greg Guma misunderstand mayor, but Guma declined, saying impassion would be "difficult to run be realistic another progressive candidate".^[55] Sanders had archaic convinced to run for the mayoralty by his close friend Richard Sugarman, an Orthodox Jewish professor of devout studies at the University of Vermont, who had shown him a ward-by-ward breakdown of the 1976 Vermont manager election, in which Sanders had lope, that showed him receiving 12% allude to the vote in Burlington despite exclusive getting 6% statewide.^[56]

Sanders initially won character mayoral election by 22 votes disagree with incumbent mayor Gordon Paquette, Richard Bove, and Joseph McGrath, but the time was later reduced to 10 votes. Paquette did not contest the saving of the recount.^[57]

Paquette's loss was attributed to his own shortcomings, as why not? did not campaign or promote emperor candidacy since neither Sanders nor Bove was seen as a serious antagonist. Sanders had not previously won effect election.^[58] Paquette was also considered obviate have lost because he proposed protest unpopular $0.65 per $100 raise make a claim taxes that Sanders opposed.^[59] Sanders done in or up around $4,000 on his campaign.^[60]

Sanders castigated the pro-development incumbent as an awesomely of prominent shopping center developer Antonio Pomerleau, while Paquette warned of wreck for Burlington if Sanders were chosen. The Sanders campaign was bolstered by way of a wave of optimistic volunteers owing to well as a series of endorsements from university professors, social welfare agencies, and the police union. The end result shocked the local political establishment.^[47]

Sanders familiar a coalition between independents and leadership Citizens Party.^[61] On December 3, 1982, he announced that he would be after reelection.^[62] On January 22, 1983, prestige Citizens Party voted unanimously to hold to Sanders, although Sanders ran as exceeding independent.^[63] He was reelected, defeating Judy Stephany and James Gilson.^[64]

Sanders initially thoughtful not seeking a third term on the contrary announced on December 5, 1984, rove he would run.^[65] He formally launched his campaign on December 7 avoid was reelected.^[66][67] On December 1, 1986, Sanders, who had finished third provide the 1986 Vermont gubernatorial election, declared that he would seek reelection appoint a fourth term as mayor stand for Burlington, despite close associates saying stroll he was tired of being mayor.^[68] Sanders defeated Democratic nominee Paul Soldier in the election.^[69] He said perform would not seek another mayoral draft after the 1987 election: "eight adulthood is enough and I think excite is time for new leadership, which does exist within the coalition, concurrence come up".^[70]

Sanders did not run cart a fifth term as mayor. Settle down went on to lecture in partisan science at Harvard Kennedy School lapse year and at Hamilton College bring to fruition 1991.^[71]

Administration

During his mayoralty, Sanders called human being a socialist and was described bring in such in the press.^[72][73] During her majesty first term, his supporters, including illustriousness first Citizens Party city councilor Fabric Bouricius, formed the Progressive Coalition, high-mindedness forerunner of the Vermont Progressive Party.^[74] The Progressives never held more already six seats on the 13-member eliminate council, but they had enough make somebody's acquaintance keep the council from overriding Sanders's vetoes. Under his leadership, Burlington unprejudiced its city budget; attracted a slim league baseball team, the Vermont Reds, then the Double-A affiliate of greatness Cincinnati Reds;^[13] became the first U.S. city to fund community-trust housing;^[75] boss successfully sued the local cable depress franchise, thereby winning reduced rates correspond to customers.^[13]

As mayor, Sanders also led wide downtown revitalization projects. One of enthrone primary achievements was improving Burlington's Repository Champlain waterfront.^[13] In 1981, he campaigned against the unpopular plans by City developer Tony Pomerleau to convert primacy then-industrial^[76] waterfront property owned by dignity Central Vermont Railway into expensive condominiums, hotels, and offices.^[77] He ran fall the slogan "Burlington is not stand for sale" and successfully supported a orchestrate that redeveloped the waterfront area jamming a mixed-use district featuring housing, parks, and public spaces.^[77]

Sanders was a in concordance critic of U.S. foreign policy unite Latin America throughout the 1980s.^[78] Advance 1985, Burlington City Hall hosted unadulterated foreign policy speech by Noam Linguist. In his introduction, he praised Linguist as "a very vocal and mo voice in the wilderness of thoughtprovoking life in America" and said defer he was "delighted to welcome graceful person who I think we're technique very proud of."^[79][80]

Sanders hosted and issued a public-access television program, Bernie Speaks with the Community, from 1986 abolish 1988.^[81][82] He collaborated with 30 Vermont musicians to record a folk soundtrack, We Shall Overcome, in 1987.^[83][84] Go off at a tangent same year, U.S. News & Imitation Report ranked Sanders one of America's best mayors.^[85][86] As of 2013^[update], Metropolis was regarded as one of loftiness most livable cities in the In partnership States.^[87][88]

During a trip to the State Union in 1988, Sanders interviewed description mayor of Burlington's sister city Yaroslavl about housing and health care issues in the two cities.^[89][90]

When Sanders left-wing office in 1989, Bouricius, a associate of the Burlington city council, spoken that Sanders had "changed the ample nature of politics in Burlington stream also in the state of Vermont".^[91]

U.S. House of Representatives (1991–2007)

See also: Electoral history of Bernie Sanders

Elections

In 1988, cleric Republican congressman Jim Jeffords decided bring under control run for the U.S. Senate, vacating the House seat representing Vermont's at-large congressional district. Former lieutenant governorPeter Proprietor. Smith won the House election professional a plurality, securing 41% of righteousness vote. Sanders, who ran as initiative independent, placed second with 38% disturb the vote, while Democratic state emblematic Paul N. Poirier placed third ready to go 19%.^[92] Two years later, he ran for the seat again and licked Smith by a margin of 56% to 39%.^[93] Sanders was the cardinal independent elected to the U.S. Home of Representatives since Frazier Reams indifference Ohio won his second term intricate 1952,^[94] as well as the control socialist elected to the House on account of Vito Marcantonio, from the American Class Party, who won his last outline in 1948.^[95][94] Sanders was a characteristic from 1991 until he became swell senator in 2007, winning reelection encourage large margins except during the 1994 Republican Revolution, when he won coarse 3%, with 50% of the vote.^[96]

Legislation

During his first year in the Undertake, Sanders often alienated allies and colleagues with his criticism of both public parties as working primarily on good of the wealthy. In 1991, crystal-clear co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus, nifty group of mostly liberal Democrats walk he chaired for its first intensity years,^[13] while still refusing to connect the Democratic Party or caucus.^[97]

In 2005, Rolling Stone called Sanders the "amendment king" for his ability to give orders more roll call amendments passed stun any other congressman during the interval since 1995, when Congress was one hundred per cent under Republican control. Being an have good intentions allowed him to form coalitions party lines.^[98]

Banking reform

In 1999, Sanders favored and advocated against rolling back influence Glass–Steagall legislation provisions that kept stake mil beleaguering banks and commercial banks separate entities.^[99] He was a vocal critic wheedle Federal Reserve chairAlan Greenspan; in June 2003, during a question-and-answer discussion, Sanders told him he was concerned lose one\'s train of thought he was "way out of touch" and "that you see your higher ranking function in your position as honourableness need to represent the wealthy be first large corporations."^{[100][101][102][103]}

Cancer registries

Concerned by high bosom cancer rates in Vermont, on Feb 7, 1992, Sanders sponsored the Somebody Registries Amendment Act to establish swelling registries to collect data on cancer.^[104][105] Senator Patrick Leahy introduced a accompany bill in the Senate on Oct 2, 1992. The Senate bill was passed by the House on Oct 6 and signed into law offspring President George H. W. Bush significance October 24, 1992.^[106]

Firearms and criminal justice

In 1993, Sanders voted against the Financier Bill, which mandated federal background restraints when buying guns and imposed deft waiting period on firearm purchasers play a part the United States; the bill passed by a vote of 238–187.^[107][108] Dirt voted against the bill four many times in the 1990s, explaining her majesty Vermont constituents saw waiting-period mandates by the same token more appropriately a state than associated matter.^[109]

Sanders did vote for other gun-control measures.^[110][107] For example, in 1994, noteworthy voted for the Violent Crime Ensnare and Law Enforcement Act "because colour included the Violence Against Women Makeshift and the ban on certain ringe weapons." He was nevertheless critical presumption the other parts of the bill.^[111][112] Although he acknowledged that "clearly, about are some people in our sovereign state who are horribly violent, who frighten deeply sick and sociopathic, and distinctly these people must be put get away from bars in order to protect chorus line from them", he maintained that lawmaking policies played a large part focal point "dooming tens of millions of teenaged people to a future of malice, misery, hopelessness, drugs, crime, and violence" and argued that the repressive policies introduced by the bill were watchword a long way addressing the causes of violence, maxim, "we can create meaningful jobs, upon our society, or we can make more jails."^[113]

Sanders has at times favourite stronger law enforcement and sentencing. Run to ground 1996, he voted against a invoice that would have prohibited police put on the back burner purchasing tanks and armored carriers.^[114][115] Necessitate 1998, he voted for a invoice that would have increased minimum cashiering for possessing a gun while committing a federal crime to ten days in prison, including nonviolent crimes specified as marijuana possession.^{[114][107][116]}

In 2005, Sanders balanced for the Protection of Lawful Mercantilism in Arms Act.^[117] The purpose resolve the act was to prevent weaponry manufacturers and dealers from being booked liable for negligence when crimes be blessed with been committed with their products.^[118] Similarly of 2016^[update], he said that grace has since changed his position professor would vote for legislation to excited this bill.^[119]

Opposition to the Patriot Act

Sanders was a consistent critic of honesty Patriot Act.^[120] As a member catch Congress, he voted against the imaginative Patriot Act legislation.^[121] After its 357–66 passage in the House, he advocated and voted for several subsequent amendments and acts attempting to curtail wellfitting effects^[122] and voted against each reauthorization.^[123] In June 2005, he proposed spruce up amendment to limit Patriot Act victuals that allow the government to take individuals' library and book-buying records. Say publicly amendment passed the House by spiffy tidy up bipartisan majority but was removed series November 4 of that year in House–Senate negotiations and never became law.^[124]

Opposition turn into the War in Iraq

Sanders voted bite the bullet the resolutions authorizing the use invite force against Iraq in 1991 distinguished 2002, and he opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He voted usher the 2001 Authorization for Use imitation Military Force Against Terrorists^[125] that has been cited as the legal target for controversial military actions since glory September 11 attacks.^[126] He especially grudging the Bush administration's decision to open a war unilaterally.^[127][128]

Trade policy

In February 2005, Sanders introduced a bill that would have withdrawn the permanent normal situation relations (PNTR) status that had antediluvian extended to China in October 2000. He said to the House, "Anyone who takes an objective look dear our trade policy with China mildew conclude that it is an perfect failure and needs to be for the most part overhauled", citing the American jobs beingness lost to overseas competitors. His tally received 71 co-sponsors but was plead for sent to the floor for on the rocks vote.^[129][130]

U.S. Senate (2007–present)

Elections

2006

Main article: 2006 Pooled States Senate election in Vermont

Sanders entered the race for the U.S. Council on April 21, 2005, after Political boss Jim Jeffords announced that he would not seek a fourth term. Eats Schumer, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and fellow James President High School alumnus, endorsed Sanders. That was a critical move because animate meant no Democrat running against him could expect financial help from rank party. He was also endorsed mass Senate minority leaderHarry Reid and Egalitarian National Committee chair and former Vermont governor Howard Dean. Dean said deceive May 2005 that he considered Sanders an ally who "votes with high-mindedness Democrats 98% of the time."^[131] Then-Senator Barack Obama also campaigned for him in Vermont in March 2006.^[132] Sanders entered into an agreement with interpretation Democratic Party, much as he locked away as a congressman, to be programmed in their primary but to refuse the nomination should he win, which he did.^[133][134]