Claim: Bernie Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist.

Bernard Sanders -LRB- born September 8 , 1941 -RRB- is an American politician who has been the junior United States Senator from Vermont since 2007 . Sanders is the longest serving independent in U.S. congressional history . Since his election to the House of Representatives in 1991 , he has caucused with the Democratic Party , which has entitled him to congressional committee assignments and at times given Democrats a majority . Sanders became the ranking minority member on the Senate Budget Committee in January 2015 ; he had previously been chair of the Senate Veterans ' Affairs Committee for two years . Since January 2017 , he has been Chair of the Senate Democratic Outreach Committee . Sanders 's campaign against Hillary Clinton for the party 's 2016 U.S. presidential nomination raised more money in small , individual contributions than any other in American history , and helped him rise to international recognition . A self-described democratic socialist , Sanders is pro-labor and emphasizes reversing economic inequality . Many scholars consider his views to be more in line with social democracy and New Deal-era American progressivism than democratic socialism .   Sanders was born and raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1964 . While a student he was an active protest organizer for the Congress of Racial Equality and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the Civil Rights Movement . After settling in Vermont in 1968 , Sanders ran unsuccessful third-party campaigns for governor and U.S. senator in the early to mid-1970s . As an independent , he was elected mayor of Burlington -- Vermont 's most populous city of 42,417 in 2010 -- in 1981 , by a margin of ten votes . He went on to be reelected as mayor three times . In 1990 , he was elected to represent Vermont 's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives , where he co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus in 1991 . He served as a congressman for 16 years before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 . In 2012 , he was reelected with 71 % of the popular vote . Polls indicate that he is among the senators most popular with their constituents , ranking third in 2014 and first in both 2015 and 2016 .   Sanders rose to national prominence following his 2010 filibuster against the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010 , which extended the Bush tax cuts that favored the wealthiest Americans . He has built a reputation as a leading progressive voice on issues such as campaign finance reform , corporate welfare , global warming , income inequality , LGBT rights , parental leave , and universal healthcare . Sanders has long been critical of U.S. foreign policy and was an early and outspoken opponent of the Iraq War , the First Gulf War , and U.S. support for the Contras in Nicaragua . He is also outspoken on civil liberties and civil rights , particularly criticizing racial discrimination in the criminal justice system as well as advocating for privacy rights against mass surveillance policies such as the USA PATRIOT Act and the NSA surveillance programs .   Sanders announced his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 30 , 2015 . Initially considered a long shot , Sanders won 23 primaries and caucuses and approximately 43 % of pledged delegates to Clinton 's 55 % . His campaign was noted for the enthusiasm of its supporters , as well as his rejection of large donations from corporations , the financial industry , and any associated Super PAC . On July 12 , 2016 , Sanders formally endorsed Clinton against her Republican general election opponent Donald Trump , while urging his supporters to continue the `` political revolution '' his campaign had begun . In November 2016 , Sanders 's book Our Revolution : A Future to Believe In was released ; upon its release , it was on The New York Times best-seller list at number 3 . In 2016 Sanders formed a political organization , Our Revolution , to educate voters about issues , get people involved in the political process , and work to organize and elect progressive candidates . In February 2017 , Sanders began webcasting The Bernie Sanders Show on Facebook .