Bernie Sanders is running for the Democratic nomination even though he has never officially described himself as a Democrat before. A self-described Democratic Socialist, the Vermont senator is an independent in politics and chooses to caucus with the Democrats in the Senate. Sanders has had a long career in politics, rising from mayor of Burlington (1981 to 1989) to the U.S. House (1991-2007), then the Senate (2007-present).
When his campaign started, Sanders was viewed as a kind of protest candidate. The unofficial but widely-acknowledged leader of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, decided not to run despite an effort to draft her into the race. So Sanders opted to run instead to represent similar views.
As expected, Sanders has proposed policies, like free tuition at all public colleges and a Medicare-for-all health system, that are to the left of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic establishment.
A big part of Sanders' authenticity is his consistent commitment to economic inequality reform. He bemoans rising income inequality and the growing concentration of wealth. His message has helped close the gap nationally between him and Clinton, but is viewed as unlikely to defeat Clinton.
So far in the primary contest, Sanders has seen victories in New Hampshire, Vermont, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Minnesota.
And that could leave the Democrats' 2020 hopefuls with a voter base that sees things differently.
The 2020 candidate has long resisted calls to officially align himself with the Democratic Party, preferring to remain a political independent.
His effort to address the challenges facing African-Americans comes as the Vermont senator faces a large and diverse primary field.
The wounds of the last Democratic presidential primary have clearly not healed as a new contest gets underway.
The Vermont independent likes to discuss public policy, not his life story, but there's a reason that's changing.
The chief strategist of the Vermont independent's 2016 campaign and two other aides cited creative differences as they parted ways.
The Vermont senator, 77, enters a very different Democratic primary contest than the one he faced in 2016 versus Hillary Clinton.
After a disastrous performance in 2016, the potential presidential hopeful is taking a whole new approach to African-American voters.
In South Carolina ahead of potential 2020 runs, the two senators highlighted different elements of King's legacy.
In a first, members of the political organization claimed two seats in Congress.
A close look at the numbers show that stories about the power of the Democrats' left-flank may have overstated the case.
Sen. Bernie Sanders chalked up the fact that some of his supporters during 2016's Democratic primary eventually voted for Trump to "the nature of politics."
Both Sen. Johnson and Sen. Sanders proclaimed on "Meet The Press" that rushing a vote on the health bill before the July 4th recess would not be wise.
The Montana contest is a test of whether Trump's scandal-plagued early months and the GOP-backed health care plan can put a red state seat into play.
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Does Bernie Sanders need the press if he has his own talk show?
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Bernie Sanders has a new Facebook Live talk show. He's using social media to circumvent traditional news outlets and speak with voters directly.
A group of former staff members and delegates for Sanders launched an effort last week called "Draft Bernie for A People's Party."
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Sen. Bernie Sanders reads the same Coretta Scott King letter that put Sen. Elizabeth Warren in trouble, prefacing it with the expectations the Senate
The Michigan rally with Chuck Schumer was the one of several pro-ACA events planned for Sunday around the country.