Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders is an American politician and junior United States senator from Vermont. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 where he finished second behind Hillary Clinton with 46 percent of the pledged delegates. Though a Democrat, Sanders is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history. A politician with an illustrious career spanning several decades, he previously served for two years as chair of the ‘Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.’ He is also a co-founder of the ‘Congressional Progressive Caucus.’ Born in Brooklyn to Jewish parents, Sanders was raised in a middle-class family. Intelligent and ambitious from a young age, he went to the ‘University of Chicago’ where he became involved in the civil rights movement and served as an organizer for the ‘Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.’ His interest in politics strengthened over the next few years and he was elected as the mayor of Burlington, Vermont's most populous city, in 1981. He became a popular politician and went on to win a seat in the ‘U.S. House of Representatives.’ He entered into a caucus with the Democrats as his prominence in the national political arena grew. In 2019, he announced his plans to run for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2020 election.