Bernie Sanders (8 September 1941-) was the US Senator from Vermont from 3 January 2007 with Patrick Leahy, succeeding Jim Jeffords. Sanders also served as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs from 3 January 2013 to 3 January 2015, succeeding Patty Murray and preceding Johnny Isakson. Sanders, a former independent, ran for President of the United States as a Democrat in 2016, emerging as an anti-establishment politician who had popular support against Hillary Clinton's powerful political machine and Super PACs; the average donation to Sanders' campaign was $27 from the working class. He lost the controversial 2016 presidential primary after the Democratic National Committee rigged the party's support in favor of Clinton, but he ran for President again in 2020.
Biography[]
Bernie Sanders being arrested at a 1963 anti-segregation rally in Chicago
Bernard Sanders was born on 8 September 1941 in Brooklyn, New York City to Polish Jewish immigrant Elias Sanders and his wife Dorothy Glassberg, who was born in the United States. He was the brother of Larry Sanders, who later emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1969 and became a British politician. Sanders attended Brooklyn College, the University of Chicago, and the New School for Social Research to study political science, but he stated that the community was his most significant source of learning. Sanders joined the Young People's Socialist League while in college, and he took part in Civil Rights protests, being arrested at a 1963 anti-segregation rally in Chicago after attending the March on Washington. Sanders also protested against the Vietnam War, being a conscientious objector; he became too old to be drafted and his application was turned down. However, Sanders was a strong supporter of veterans' rights and did not criticize Vietnam veterans.
In 1980, Sanders entered politics when he was elected Mayor of Burlington, Vermont as an independent candidate, beating both US Republican Party and US Democratic Party candidates. He declared himself a socialist, and in 1985 he hosted a speech by Noam Chomsky, and he led downtown revitalization efforts with the slogan "Burlington is not for sale", stopping Tony Pomerleau from turning the industrial area into expensive condominiums and instead keeping Burlington free from real estate developers. Sanders released a folk music album, We Shall Overcome, in 1987 in collaboration with 30 Vermont musicians, increasing the public's love for him. His popularity led to him being elected to the US House of Representatives as an independent in 1988 after Congressman Jim Jeffords ran for the US Senate, and although he lost the support of the two major parties by saying that they acted in the interests of the wealthy, he founded the liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus. Sanders voted against the Gulf War in 1991 and the Iraq War in 2003, and he was a critic of the Patriot Act passed by President George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks, as they infringed on the right to privacy.
On 21 April 2005, Sanders ran for Senator of Vermont after Jim Jeffords announced that he would not seek a fourth term, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean endorsed him. He defeated businessman Richard Tarrant to become the Senator for Vermont in the US Senate, and he became the head of the Senate Committee of Veterans' Affairs, doing a great job in that post. He took up an anti-wealthy stance, with his famous catchphrase "Enough is Enough!" being first cried during a protest against the extension of Bush-era tax rates, and many progressives urged him to run for President of the United States in 2012. Instead, in 2015 he announced his candidacy as President, running for the US Democratic Party's nomination against Hillary Clinton, Jim Webb, Lincoln Chaffee, and Martin O'Malley. By March 2016, it was down to just Sanders - the young people's candidate - and Clinton - the establishment candidate. Sanders won most of the northern states and won with the young people, while Clinton won with the African-American leadership and the establishment Democrats. Sanders and Clinton had a close contest, with Sanders being given an average donation of $27 by the working class while Clinton gathered money through a political Super PAC and through her organization in Congress. Sanders' popular support won him many states, but in the South, he was defeated by Clinton numerous times, including a loss to Clinton by 80% in Mississippi. Although he was not expected to be the nominee as Clinton gained more support, Sanders - along with the Republican Donald Trump - was a symbol that that the American people were frustrated with the government and wanted an outsider as President. It was later revealed that Clinton had pulled strings in the Democratic National Committee to rig the primary against Sanders, leading to many Sanders supporters refusing to vote for Clinton in the general election. Sanders ran for President again in 2020, intending on challenging Trump for re-election. He became one of the frontrunners alongside Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O'Rourke, and Elizabeth Warren. After an early but brief challenge by Buttigieg in Iowa and Vermont, he came to rival Biden for the lead. On Super Tuesday, Biden swept the majority of the contested states, having built a coalition which relied heavily on older African-Americans; at the same time, Sanders' campaign faced controversy for its supporters' use of online bullying against the supporters of other Democratic candidates. On 8 April 2020, having lost the Wisconsin primary, Sanders decided to end his presidential campaign; by that time, Biden had won 1,217 delegates, while Sanders had won 914; in a distant third place was Warren with 81.
Gallery[]
