Bernie Sanders . 
Bernie Sanders
-LSB- 239 -RSB- Sanders has denounced institutional racism and called for criminal justice reform to reduce the number of people in prison , -LSB- 240 -RSB- advocates a crackdown on police brutality , and supports abolishing private , for-profit prisons -LSB- 241 -RSB- -LSB- 242 -RSB- -LSB- 243 -RSB- and the death penalty . 
Sanders is the longest serving independent in U.S. congressional history . 
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 . 
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 and a New Deal-era American progressive , Sanders is pro-labor and emphasizes reversing economic inequality . 
-LSB- 250 -RSB- On November 15 , 2015 , in response to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant -LRB- ISIL -RRB- 's attacks in Paris , Sanders cautioned against "Islamophobia" and said , "We got ta be tough , not stupid" in the war against ISIL , adding that the U.S. should continue to welcome Syrian refugees . 
Sanders was born and raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1964 . 
The bill was opposed only by Sanders and Republican Rand Paul . 
After settling in Vermont in 1968 , Sanders ran unsuccessful third-party campaigns for governor and U.S. senator in the early to mid-1970s . 
Addressing Westminster College in a September 2017 speech , Sanders laid out a "progressive foreign policy" that pushes for greater international collaboration , an adherence to U.S.-led international agreements such as the Paris Agreement and the Iran nuclear deal framework , and the promotion of human rights and democratic ideals . 
Sanders also heavily criticized U.S. support for "murderous regimes" during the Cold War , such as those in Iran , Chile and El Salvador , and said that those actions continue to make the U.S. less safe . 
-LSB- 7 -RSB- -LSB- 8 -RSB- -LSB- 9 -RSB- Polls in the year 2017 showed that Sanders had the highest favorability rating of the leading political figures included in the polls . 
Born into a Democratic-voting family , Sanders was first introduced to political activism when his brother Larry joined the Young Democrats of America and campaigned for Adlai Stevenson II in 1956 . 
Sanders rose to national prominence after his 2010 filibuster against the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010 , which extended the Bush tax cuts that favored the wealthiest Americans . 
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 . 
Once elected to the House of Representatives , Sanders joined the Democratic caucus , though some conservative southern Democrats initially barred him from the caucus as they believed that allowing a self-described socialist to join it would harm their electoral prospects . 
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 % . 
On July 12 , 2016 , Sanders formally endorsed Clinton in her unsuccessful general election campaign against Republican 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 number 3 on The New York Times Best Seller list . 
In 2016 Sanders formed Our Revolution , a political organization dedicated to educating voters about issues , getting people involved in the political process , and electing progressive candidates . 
In February 2017 , Sanders began webcasting The Bernie Sanders Show on Facebook . 
Sanders advocated that , following Trump 's victory in the 2016 elections , the Democratic Party undergo a "series of reforms" and that it had to "break loose from its corporate establishment ties and , once again , become a grass-roots party of working people , the elderly and the poor ." 
Sanders as a senior in high school , 1959 . 
Sanders was born on September 8 , 1941 , in Brooklyn , New York City . 
Sanders strongly opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and has criticized a number of policies instituted during the War on Terror , particularly mass surveillance and the USA Patriot Act . 
Sanders became interested in politics at an early age : "A guy named Adolf Hitler won an election in 1932 . 
Sanders has criticized President Trump for appointing multiple billionaires to his cabinet . 
Although he opposed the war , Sanders never criticized those who fought and has been a strong supporter of veterans ' benefits . 
-LSB- 274 -RSB- Sanders has promised to defeat "Trump and Trumpism and the Republican right-wing ideology" . 
Sanders lived on East 26th Street in Midwood , Brooklyn . 
-LSB- 33 -RSB- Sanders 's older brother , Larry , said that during their childhood , the family never lacked for food or clothing , but major purchases , "like curtains or a rug ," were difficult to afford . 
In 1963 , Sanders and Deborah Shiling , whom he met in college , volunteered for several months on the Israeli kibbutz Sha'ar HaAmakim . 
Sanders attended James Madison High School , also in Brooklyn , where he was captain of the track team and took third place in the New York City indoor one-mile race . 
-LSB- 31 -RSB- In high school , Sanders lost his first election , finishing last out of three candidates for the student body presidency . 
-LSB- 279 -RSB- -LSB- 280 -RSB- Sanders considers Jane 's three children -- Dave Driscoll -LRB- born 1975 -RRB- , Carina Driscoll -LRB- born 1974 -RRB- , and Heather Titus -LRB- née Driscoll -RRB- -LRB- born 1971 -RRB- -- to be his own . 
Sanders studied at Brooklyn College for a year in 1959 -- 60 -LSB- 35 -RSB- before transferring to the University of Chicago and graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in political science in 1964 . 
In December 1987 , during his tenure as mayor , Sanders recorded a folk album titled We Shall Overcome with 30 Vermont musicians . 
As Sanders was not skilled at singing , he performed his vocals in a talking blues style . 
-LSB- 283 -RSB- -LSB- 284 -RSB- Sanders appeared in a cameo role in the 1988 comedy-drama film Sweet Hearts Dance , playing a man who distributes candy to young trick-or-treaters . 
See also : Electoral history of Bernie Sanders . 
-LSB- 286 -RSB- On February 6 , 2016 , Sanders was a guest star alongside Larry David on Saturday Night Live , playing a Polish immigrant on a steamship that was sinking near the Statue of Liberty . 
While at the University of Chicago , Sanders joined the Young People 's Socialist League -LRB- the youth affiliate of the Socialist Party of America -RRB- , -LSB- 37 -RSB- and was active in the Civil Rights Movement as a student organizer for the Congress of Racial Equality -LRB- CORE -RRB- and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee -LRB- SNCC -RRB- . 
-LSB- 22 -RSB- -LSB- 38 -RSB- Under Sanders 's chairmanship , the university chapter of CORE merged with the university chapter of SNCC . 
-LSB- 39 -RSB- In January 1962 , Sanders led a rally at the University of Chicago administration building to protest university president George Wells Beadle 's segregated campus housing policy . 
"We feel it is an intolerable situation when Negro and white students of the university can not live together in university-owned apartments ," Sanders said at the protest . 
Sanders and 32 other students then entered the building and camped outside the president 's office , performing the first civil rights sit-in in Chicago history . 
-LSB- 244 -RSB- Sanders supports Black Lives Matter . 
-LSB- 43 -RSB- Sanders once spent a day putting up fliers protesting against police brutality , only to eventually notice that a Chicago police car was shadowing him and taking them all down . 
Sanders received an Honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Brooklyn College on May 30 , 2017 . 
Sanders attended the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom , where Martin Luther King , Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech . 
After complaints made in 2016 by Donald Trump 's Vermont campaign chairman , the FBI launched an investigation into Sanders 's wife Jane 's involvement in a bank loan for Burlington College when she was its president . 
-LSB- 296 -RSB- -LSB- 297 -RSB- -LSB- 298 -RSB- -LSB- 299 -RSB- The Washington Post reported on June 25 , 2017 , that Sanders himself is not under FBI investigation . 
In addition to his civil rights activism during the 1960s and 1970s , -LSB- 48 -RSB- Sanders was active in several peace and antiwar movements . 
Sanders applied for conscientious objector status during the Vietnam War ; his application was eventually turned down , by which point he was too old to be drafted . 
After receiving nearly $ 900,000 in royalty advances for his recently published books , Sanders reported earnings of just over $ 1 million in 2016 . 
-LSB- 49 -RSB- -LSB- 50 -RSB- Sanders also worked on the reelection campaign of Leon Despres , a prominent Chicago alderman who was opposed to mayor Richard J. Daley 's Democratic Party machine . 
As Sanders described his upbringing as an American Jew in a 2016 speech : his father generally attended synagogue only on Yom Kippur ; he attended public schools while his mother "chafed" at his yeshiva Sunday schooling at a Hebrew school ; and their religious observances were mostly limited to Passover seders with their neighbors . 
After graduating from college , Sanders returned to New York City , where he initially worked at a variety of jobs , including Head Start teacher , psychiatric aide , and carpenter . 
-LSB- 36 -RSB- In 1968 , Sanders moved to Vermont because he had been "captivated by rural life ." 
In 1963 , in cooperation with the Labor Zionist youth movement Hashomer Hatzair , Sanders and his first wife volunteered at Sha'ar HaAmakim , a kibbutz in northern Israel . 
As mayor of Burlington , Sanders allowed a Chabad public menorah to be placed at city hall , an action contested by the local ACLU chapter . 
Sanders began his electoral political career in 1971 as a member of the Liberty Union Party , which originated in the anti-war movement and the People 's Party . 
-LSB- 55 -RSB- In the 1974 senatorial race , Sanders finished third -LRB- 5,901 votes ; 4.1 % -RRB- , behind 33-year-old Chittenden County State 's Attorney Patrick Leahy -LRB- D , VI ; 70,629 votes ; 49.4 % -RRB- and two-term incumbent U.S. Representative Dick Mallary -LRB- R ; 66,223 votes ; 46.3 % -RRB- . 
The 1976 campaign proved to be the zenith of Liberty Union 's influence , with Sanders collecting 11,000 votes for governor and the party . 
-LSB- 58 -RSB- The campaign drained the finances and energy of the Liberty Union , however , and in October 1977 , less than a year after the conclusion of the 1976 campaign , Sanders and the Liberty Union candidate for attorney general , Nancy Kaufman , announced their retirement from the party . 
Following his resignation from the Liberty Union Party in 1977 , Sanders worked as a writer and the director of the nonprofit American People 's Historical Society -LRB- APHS -RRB- . 
Sanders replied : -LSB- 314 -RSB- . 
In 1980 , Sanders ran for mayor of Burlington , Vermont -LRB- pop . 
Sanders does not regularly attend synagogue , and he works on Rosh Hashanah , a day when Jews typically take a holiday from work . 
The 39-year-old Sanders ran against incumbent Democratic mayor Gordon "Gordie" Paquette , a five-term mayor who had served as a member of the Burlington City Council for 13 years before that , building extensive community ties and a willingness to cooperate with Republican leaders in controlling appointments to various commissions . 
Republicans had found Paquette so unobjectionable that they failed to field a candidate in the March 1981 race against him , leaving Sanders as his principal opponent . 
Sanders 's effort was further aided by the decision of the candidate of the Citizens Party , Greg Guma , to exit the race so as not to split the progressive vote . 
Two other candidates in the race , independents Richard Bove and Joe McGrath , proved to be essentially non-factors in the campaign , with the battle coming down to Paquette and Sanders . 
Sanders has said he feels "very close" to Francis 's economic teachings , describing him as "incredibly smart and brave" . 
Sanders castigated the pro-development incumbent as an ally of prominent shopping center developer Antonio Pomerleau , while Paquette warned of ruin for Burlington if Sanders was elected . 
The Sanders campaign was bolstered by a wave of optimistic volunteers as well as by a series of endorsements from university professors , social welfare agencies , and the police union . 
The final result came as a shock to the local political establishment , with the maverick Sanders winning by just 10 votes . 
Sanders was reelected three times , defeating both Democratic and Republican candidates . 
-LSB- 62 -RSB- In his final run for mayor in 1987 , Sanders defeated Paul Lafayette , a Democrat endorsed by both major parties . 
-LSB- 63 -RSB- In 1986 , Sanders unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Governor Madeleine Kunin -LRB- D -RRB- in her run for reelection . 
Running as an independent , Sanders finished third with 14.4 % of the vote . 
After serving four two-year terms , Sanders chose not to seek reelection in 1989 . 
-LSB- 308 -RSB- -LSB- 309 -RSB- -LSB- 310 -RSB- -LSB- 311 -RSB- When asked about his Jewish heritage , Sanders has said he is "proud to be Jewish" . 
During his mayoralty , Sanders called himself a socialist and was so described in the press . 
-LSB- 67 -RSB- The Progressives never held more than six seats on the 13-member city council , but they had enough to keep the council from overriding Sanders 's vetoes . 
Under Sanders , Burlington became the first city in the country to fund community-trust housing . 
During the 1980s , Sanders was a staunch critic of U.S. foreign policy in Latin America . 
In his introduction , Sanders praised Chomsky as "a very vocal and important voice in the wilderness of intellectual life in America" and said he was "delighted to welcome a person who I think we 're all very proud of ." 
Sanders 's administration balanced the city budget and drew a minor league baseball team , the Vermont Reds , then the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds , to Burlington . 
As mayor , Sanders led extensive downtown revitalization projects . 
Sanders rarely speaks about religion . 
-LSB- 19 -RSB- In 1981 , Sanders campaigned against the unpopular plans by Burlington developer Tony Pomerleau to convert the then-industrial -LSB- 72 -RSB- waterfront property owned by the Central Vermont Railway into expensive condominiums , hotels , and offices . 
-LSB- 73 -RSB- Sanders ran under the slogan "Burlington is not for sale" and successfully supported a plan that redeveloped the waterfront area into a mixed-use district featuring housing , parks , and public space . 
Sanders hosted and produced a public-access television program , Bernie Speaks with the Community , from 1986 to 1988 . 
In 1987 , U.S. News & World Report ranked Sanders as one of America 's best mayors . 
Congressman Sanders in 1991 . 
See also : Electoral history of Bernie Sanders . 
Sanders 's 1990 victory made him the first independent candidate to be elected to Congress since Frazier Reams in 1950 . 
-LSB- 81 -RSB- -LSB- 82 -RSB- Sanders served in the House from 1991 until he became a senator in 2007 . 
Sanders , who ran as an independent , placed second with 38 % of the vote , while Democratic State Representative Paul N. Poirier placed third with 19 % of the vote . 
-LSB- 83 -RSB- Two years later , Sanders ran for the seat again and defeated the incumbent Smith by a margin of 56 % to 39 % . 
Starting in November 2015 , in connection with his presidential campaign , Sanders 's announcements suggested that not only was he running as a Democrat , but that he would run as a Democrat in future elections . 
Sanders was the first independent elected to the U.S. House of Representatives since Frazier Reams 's election to represent Ohio 40 years earlier . 
During his first year in the House , Sanders often alienated allies and colleagues with his criticism of both political parties as working primarily on behalf of the wealthy . 
In 1991 , Sanders co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus , a group of mostly liberal Democrats that Sanders chaired for its first eight years , -LSB- 19 -RSB- while still refusing to join the Democratic Party or caucus . 
In 1993 , Sanders voted against the Brady Bill , which mandated federal background checks and imposed a waiting period on firearm purchasers in the United States ; the bill passed by a vote of 238 -- 187 . 
In 1994 , Sanders voted in favor of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act . 
Sanders said he voted for the bill "because it included the Violence Against Women Act and the ban on certain assault weapons" . 
-LSB- 261 -RSB- -LSB- 262 -RSB- -LSB- 263 -RSB- Since he remained a senator , elected as an independent , the United States Senate website continued to refer to Sanders as an independent during the campaign and upon his return to the senate . 
In 2015 , Sanders defended his vote , saying : "If somebody has a gun and it falls into the hands of a murderer and the murderer kills somebody with a gun , do you hold the gun manufacturer responsible ? 
Sanders voted against the resolutions authorizing the use of force against Iraq in 1991 and 2002 , and opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq . 
-LSB- 95 -RSB- Sanders voted for a non-binding resolution expressing support for troops at the outset of the invasion of Iraq , but gave a floor speech criticizing the partisan nature of the vote and the George W. Bush administration 's actions in the run-up to the war . 
Regarding the investigation of what turned out to be a leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame 's identity by a State Department official , Sanders stated : "The revelation that the President authorized the release of classified information in order to discredit an Iraq war critic should tell every member of Congress that the time is now for a serious investigation of how we got into the war in Iraq and why Congress can no longer act as a rubber stamp for the President ." 
On November 2 , 2005 , Sanders voted against the Online Freedom of Speech Act , which would have exempted the Internet from the campaign finance restrictions of the McCain -- Feingold Bill . 
Sanders was a consistent critic of the Patriot Act . 
-LSB- 99 -RSB- After its 357-to-66 passage in the House , Sanders sponsored and voted for several subsequent amendments and acts attempting to curtail its effects , -LSB- 100 -RSB- and voted against each re-authorization . 
-LSB- 101 -RSB- In June 2005 , Sanders proposed an amendment to limit Patriot Act provisions that allow the government to obtain individuals ' library and book-buying records . 
In March 2006 , after a series of resolutions passed in various Vermont towns calling for him to bring articles of impeachment against George W. Bush , Sanders stated that it would be "impractical to talk about impeachment" with Republicans in control of the House and Senate . 
-LSB- 103 -RSB- Still , Sanders made no secret of his opposition to the Bush Administration , which he regularly criticized for its cuts to social programs . 
Sanders was a vocal critic of Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan ; in June 2003 , during a question-and-answer discussion with the then-Chairman , Sanders told Greenspan that he was concerned that Greenspan was "way out of touch" and "that you see your major function in your position as the need to represent the wealthy and large corporations" . 
-LSB- 107 -RSB- -LSB- 108 -RSB- In October 2008 , after Sanders had been elected to the Senate , Greenspan admitted to Congress that his economic ideology regarding risky mortgage loans was flawed . 
-LSB- 109 -RSB- -LSB- 110 -RSB- In 1998 , Sanders voted and advocated against rolling back the Glass -- Steagall Legislation provisions that kept investment banks and commercial banks separate entities . 
-LSB- 255 -RSB- Although elected mayor of Burlington as an independent , Sanders endorsed Democratic presidential candidates Walter Mondale in 1984 and Jesse Jackson in 1988 . 
Sanders drew parallels between his campaign and that of the Labour Party in the 2017 UK general election . 
Sanders entered the race for the U.S. Senate on April 21 , 2005 , after Senator Jim Jeffords announced that he would not seek a fourth term . 
Chuck Schumer , chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee , endorsed Sanders , a critical move as it meant that no Democrat running against Sanders could expect to receive financial help from the party . 
Sanders was also endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Democratic National Committee chairman and former Vermont governor Howard Dean . 
Dean said in May 2005 that he considered Sanders an ally who "votes with the Democrats 98 % of the time" . 
-LSB- 112 -RSB- Then-Senator Barack Obama also campaigned for Sanders in Vermont in March 2006 . 
-LSB- 113 -RSB- Sanders entered into an agreement with the Democratic Party , much as he had as a congressman , to be listed in their primary but to decline the nomination should he win , which he did . 
In the most expensive political campaign in Vermont 's history , -LSB- 116 -RSB- Sanders defeated businessman Rich Tarrant by an approximately 2-to-1 margin . 
Many national media outlets projected Sanders as the winner just after the polls closed , before any returns came in . 
Sanders was only the third senator from Vermont to caucus with the Democrats , after Jeffords and Leahy . 
Polling conducted in August 2011 by Public Policy Polling found that Sanders 's approval rating was 67 % and his disapproval rating 28 % , making him then the third-most popular senator in the country . 
-LSB- 8 -RSB- Both the NAACP and the NHLA have given Sanders 100 % voting scores during his tenure in the Senate . 
-LSB- 119 -RSB- In 2015 Sanders was named one of the Top 5 of The Forward 50 . 
-LSB- 120 -RSB- In a November 2015 Morning Consult poll , Sanders had an approval rating of 83 % among his constituents , making him the most popular senator in the country . 
-LSB- 7 -RSB- Fox News found Sanders to have the highest net favorability at +28 points of any prominent politician included in its March 2017 poll . 
-LSB- 247 -RSB- -LSB- 248 -RSB- -LSB- 249 -RSB- Sanders criticized Israel 's actions during the 2014 Gaza war . 
As an independent , Sanders worked out a deal with the Senate Democratic leadership in which he agreed to vote with the Democrats on all procedural matters , except with permission from Democratic Whip Dick Durbin -LRB- a request that is rarely made or granted -RRB- . 
-LSB- 122 -RSB- -LSB- 123 -RSB- Sanders was free to vote as he pleased on policy matters , but almost always voted with the Democrats . 
-LSB- 317 -RSB- Sanders 's wife is Roman Catholic , and he has frequently expressed admiration for Pope Francis , saying that "the leader of the Catholic Church is raising profound issues . 
On September 24 , 2008 , Sanders posted an open letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson decrying the initial bank bailout proposal ; it drew more than 8,000 citizen cosigners in 24 hours . 
-LSB- 124 -RSB- On January 26 , 2009 , Sanders and Democrats Robert Byrd , Russ Feingold , and Tom Harkin were the sole majority members to vote against confirming Timothy Geithner as United States Secretary of the Treasury . 
On December 10 , 2010 , Sanders delivered an 81⁄2 - hour speech against the Tax Relief , Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization , and Job Creation Act of 2010 , the proposed extension of the Bush-era tax rates that eventually became law , saying "Enough is enough ! 
-LSB- 126 -RSB- -LSB- 127 -RSB- -LSB- 128 -RSB- In response to the speech , hundreds of people signed online petitions urging Sanders to run in the 2012 presidential election , and pollsters began measuring his support in key primary states . 
-LSB- 129 -RSB- Progressive activists such as Rabbi Michael Lerner and economist David Korten publicly voiced their support for a prospective Sanders run against President Barack Obama . 
-LSB- 129 -RSB- Sanders 's speech was published in February 2011 by Nation Books as The Speech : A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class , with authorial proceeds going to Vermont nonprofit charitable organizations . 
On March 17 , 2016 , Sanders said he would support Merrick Garland 's nomination to the Supreme Court , though he added , "there are some more progressive judges out there ." 
Sanders opposed Neil Gorsuch 's nomination to the Court , saying that Gorsuch had "refused to answer legitimate questions ." 
-LSB- 132 -RSB- Sanders also objected to the possibility of Senate Republicans using the nuclear option to "choke off debate and ram the nomination through the Senate ." 
-LSB- 256 -RSB- The Washington Post reported that the Jackson campaign helped inspire Sanders to work more closely with the Democratic Party . 
In January 2015 , Sanders became the ranking minority member of the Senate Budget Committee . 
While at the Vatican , Sanders met briefly with the pontiff . 
According to his senate website , Sanders 's committee assignments during 2016 were as follows : -LSB- 135 -RSB- . 
Main articles : Bernie Sanders presidential campaign , 2016 and Democratic Party presidential primaries , 2016 . 
Sanders announced his intention to seek the Democratic Party 's nomination for president on April 30 , 2015 , and -LSB- 136 -RSB- -LSB- 137 -RSB- -LSB- 138 -RSB- his campaign was officially launched on May 26 , 2015 , in Burlington . 
-LSB- 137 -RSB- In his announcement , Sanders said , "I do n't believe that the men and women who defended American democracy fought to create a situation where billionaires own the political process ," and made this a central idea throughout his campaign . 
-LSB- 136 -RSB- -LSB- 137 -RSB- Senator Elizabeth Warren welcomed Sanders 's entry into the race , saying , "I 'm glad to see him get out there and give his version of what leadership in this country should be ." 
-LSB- 18 -RSB- -LSB- 318 -RSB- -LSB- 319 -RSB- In April 2016 , Sanders accepted an invitation from Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo , an aide close to the pope , to speak at a Vatican conference on economic and environmental issues . 
-LSB- 150 -RSB- On July 1 , 2015 , Sanders 's campaign stop in Madison , Wisconsin , drew the largest crowd of any 2016 presidential candidate to that date , with an estimated turnout of 10,000 . 
Unlike the other major candidates , Sanders did not pursue funding through a Super PAC or by wealthy donors , instead focusing on small individual donations . 
Sanders used social media to help his campaign gain momentum , -LSB- 145 -RSB- posting content to online platforms such as Twitter and Facebook and answering questions on Reddit . 
Sanders 's campaign events in June 2015 drew overflow crowds around the country , to his surprise . 
-LSB- 147 -RSB- -LSB- 148 -RSB- -LSB- 149 -RSB- When Hillary Clinton and Sanders made public appearances within days of each other in Des Moines , Iowa , Sanders drew larger crowds , even though he had already made numerous stops around the state and Clinton 's visit was her first in 2015 . 
-LSB- 37 -RSB- -LSB- 276 -RSB- -LSB- 277 -RSB- Sanders 's son , Levi Sanders , was born in 1969 to girlfriend Susan Campbell Mott . 
-LSB- 36 -RSB- In 1988 , Sanders married Jane O'Meara Driscoll -LRB- née Mary Jane O'Meara -RRB- , who later became president of Burlington College , in Burlington , Vermont . 
-LSB- 156 -RSB- In February 2016 , Clinton 's and Sanders 's campaigns agreed in principle to holding four more debates for a total of ten . 
Sanders expressed disappointment that Clinton would cancel the debate "before the largest and most important primary in the presidential nominating process" . 
An NBCWall Street Journal poll conducted in May found Clinton and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in a "dead heat" , but the same poll found that if Sanders were the Democratic nominee , 53 % of voters would support him to 39 % for Trump . 
-LSB- 159 -RSB- Clinton and Trump were the least popular likely candidates in the poll 's history , while Sanders received a 43 % positive , 36 % negative rating . 
-LSB- 160 -RSB- Polls showed that Democratic voters older than 50 preferred Clinton by a large margin but those under 50 overwhelmingly favored Sanders . 
Some supporters raised concerns that publications such as The New York Times minimized coverage of the Sanders campaign in favor of other candidates ' , especially Trump 's and Clinton 's . 
-LSB- 162 -RSB- -LSB- 163 -RSB- A December 2015 report found that the three major networks -- CBS , NBC , and ABC -- had spent 234 minutes reporting on Trump and 10 minutes on Sanders , despite their similar polling results . 
Sanders was in Phoenix , Arizona , on that date , speaking to a rally larger than any of the others , but his speech was not mentioned , let alone broadcast . 
-LSB- 230 -RSB- As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging , Sanders has introduced legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the Older Americans Act , which supports Meals on Wheels and other programs for seniors . 
-LSB- 166 -RSB- On July 12 , Sanders formally endorsed Clinton -LSB- 167 -RSB- but he continued to work with the Democratic National Convention organizers to implement the progressive positions he had been campaigning for . 
Sanders spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention on July 25 , giving Clinton his full support . 
Some of Sanders 's supporters attempted to protest Clinton 's nomination and booed when Sanders called for party unity . 
Sanders responded , "Our job is to do two things : to defeat Donald Trump and to elect Hillary Clinton ... It is easy to boo , but it is harder to look your kids in the face if we are living under a Trump presidency ." 
On November 8 , while Trump -LRB- while losing the popular vote -RRB- defeated Clinton in the general election nationwide , Sanders received almost 6 % of the vote in Vermont , despite not being a candidate in the election . 
Nationwide , it was possible to vote for Sanders as a write-in candidate in twelve states , -LSB- 171 -RSB- and exact totals of write-in votes for Sanders were published in three states : California , -LSB- 172 -RSB- New Hampshire , -LSB- 173 -RSB- and Vermont . 
-LSB- 170 -RSB- In those three states , Sanders received 111,850 write-in votes , which was approximately 15 % of the write-in votes nationwide , and 0.08 % of the nationwide number of votes overall . 
On December 19 , the day that the Electoral College convened in state capitols around the country , Sanders received one electoral vote for president , from David Mulinix , a faithless elector in Hawaii who also voted for fellow progressive firebrand Elizabeth Warren -LRB- instead of Clinton 's running mate Tim Kaine -RRB- for vice president . 
-LSB- 174 -RSB- Two other faithless electors , David Bright in Maine and Muhammad Abdurrahman in Minnesota , attempted to cast their electoral votes for Sanders , but their votes were invalidated by their states ' faithless elector laws ; Bright subsequently switched his vote to Clinton as pledged , while Abdurrahman was replaced by another elector who voted for Clinton as pledged . 
-LSB- 200 -RSB- Based on Sanders 's positions and votes throughout his political career , Noam Chomsky and Thomas Frank have described Sanders as "a New Dealer" . 
Sanders was one of five people who received electoral votes from faithless electors in the 2016 election ; the other four were former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell -LRB- who received three electoral votes -RRB- , -LSB- 177 -RSB- Native American activist Faith Spotted Eagle , -LSB- 177 -RSB- former U. S. Representative and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul , -LSB- 178 -RSB- and Governor John Kasich . 
In a March 2017 Fox News poll , Sanders 's 61 % approval rating was the highest among all politicians rated , versus 43 % for Donald Trump , 47 % for Mike Pence and 37 % for Paul Ryan . 
-LSB- 181 -RSB- In April 2017 , a nationwide Harvard-Harris Poll found Sanders had the highest favorability rating of the leading political figures included in the poll , -LSB- 182 -RSB- a standing confirmed by subsequent polling . 
Noam Chomsky stated in a May 2017 BBC interview that the Sanders campaign , by breaking with a century-old political system of reliance on corporate funding , was the most remarkable thing about the 2016 election . 
-LSB- 185 -RSB- Chomsky said Sanders "came from nowhere" , used the "scare word ` socialist '" , and "would have won the Democratic Party nomination if it had n't been for the shenanigans of the Obama-Clinton party managers who kept him out ." 
-LSB- 302 -RSB- According to Sanders 's close friend Richard Sugarman , a professor of religious studies at the University of Vermont , Sanders 's Jewish identity is "certainly more ethnic and cultural than religious" . 
In this role he mourned the Brooklyn Dodgers moving to Los Angeles , reflecting Sanders 's own upbringing in Brooklyn . 
Sanders 's book Our Revolution : A Future to Believe In was released in November 2016 . 
-LSB- 293 -RSB- -LSB- 294 -RSB- Sanders told CNN , "I owe my brother an enormous amount . 
To build on momentum gained during the 2016 election campaign , Sanders and supporters founded a political action committee and a political education organization : . 
Brand New Congress -- In April 2016 , former Sanders presidential campaign staffers formed a political organization , Brand New Congress , to elect Congressional representatives in line with the campaign 's political platform . 
Our Revolution -- In August 2016 , Sanders founded Our Revolution , an organization dedicated to educating voters about political issues , getting people involved in the political process , and recruiting and supporting candidates for local , state , and national office . 
On February 16 , 2017 , Sanders began webcasting The Bernie Sanders Show using Facebook live streaming . 
Main article : Political positions of Bernie Sanders . 
Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist , -LSB- 197 -RSB- and progressive who admires the Nordic model of social democracy and is a proponent of workplace democracy . 
-LSB- 198 -RSB- -LSB- 194 -RSB- -LSB- 199 -RSB- In November 2015 , Sanders gave a speech at Georgetown University about his view of democratic socialism , including its place in the policies of presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson . 
-LSB- 200 -RSB- -LSB- 201 -RSB- In defining what democratic socialism means to him , Sanders said : "I do n't believe government should take over the grocery store down the street or own the means of production , but I do believe that the middle class and the working families who produce the wealth of America deserve a decent standard of living and that their incomes should go up , not down . 
On December 4 , 2015 , Sanders won Time 's 2015 Person of the Year readers ' poll with 10.2 % of the vote -LSB- 288 -RSB- -LSB- 289 -RSB- but did not receive the editorial board 's award . 
-LSB- 300 -RSB- Both Sanders and his wife have retained prominent counsel during the investigation . 
Many commentators have noted the consistency of Sanders 's views throughout his political career . 
-LSB- 316 -RSB- Deborah Dash Moore , a Judaic scholar at the University of Michigan , has said that Sanders has a particular type of "ethnic Jewishness" that is somewhat old-fashioned . 
Calling international trade agreements a "disaster for the American worker" , Sanders voted against and has spoken for years against NAFTA , CAFTA , and PNTR with China , saying that they have resulted in American corporations moving abroad . 
Sanders focuses on economic issues such as income and wealth inequality , -LSB- 193 -RSB- -LSB- 206 -RSB- raising the minimum wage , -LSB- 207 -RSB- universal healthcare , -LSB- 208 -RSB- reducing the burden of student debt , -LSB- 209 -RSB- making public colleges and universities tuition-free by taxing financial transactions , -LSB- 210 -RSB- and expanding Social Security benefits by eliminating the cap on the payroll tax on all incomes above $ 250,000 . 
Sanders 's elder brother , Larry , lives in England . 
Sanders advocates bold action to reverse global warming and substantial investment in infrastructure , with "energy efficiency and sustainability" and job creation as prominent goals . 
-LSB- 218 -RSB- -LSB- 219 -RSB- Sanders opposes the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline on the grounds that , like the Keystone XL Pipeline , it "will have a significant impact on our climate ." 
Sanders has advocated greater democratic participation by citizens , campaign finance reform , and a constitutional amendment or judicial decision that would overturn Citizens United v. FEC . 
Sanders is a staunch supporter of a universal health care system , and has said , "If you are serious about real healthcare reform , the only way to go is single-payer ." 
-LSB- 42 -RSB- Joan Mahoney , a member of the University of Chicago CORE chapter at the time and a fellow participant in the sit-ins , described Sanders in a 2016 interview as" ... a swell guy , a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn , but he was n't terribly charismatic . 
On May 4 , 2017 , in response to the House vote to repeal and replace The Affordable Care Act , Sanders predicted "thousands of Americans would die" from no longer having access to health care . 
-LSB- 233 -RSB- Politifact rated Sanders 's statement "mostly true" . 
In September 2017 , Sanders and 15 Senate co-sponsors submitted the "Medicare for All" bill , a single-payer health care plan . 
Sanders has responded that the Republican party has no credibility on the issue of health care after recently voting for legislation that would take health insurance away from 32 million people under the Affordable Care Act -LRB- "Obamacare" -RRB- . 
Sanders has liberal stances on social issues , having advocated for LGBT rights and against the Defense of Marriage Act . 
-LSB- 236 -RSB- Sanders described his opposition to DOMA as being on states ' rights grounds .
-LSB- 239 -RSB- Sanders has denounced institutional racism and called for criminal justice reform to reduce the number of people in prison , -LSB- 240 -RSB- advocates a crackdown on police brutality , and supports abolishing private , for-profit prisons -LSB- 241 -RSB- -LSB- 242 -RSB- -LSB- 243 -RSB- and the death penalty . 
Sanders is the longest serving independent in U.S. congressional history . 
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 . 
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 and a New Deal-era American progressive , Sanders is pro-labor and emphasizes reversing economic inequality . 
-LSB- 250 -RSB- On November 15 , 2015 , in response to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant -LRB- ISIL -RRB- 's attacks in Paris , Sanders cautioned against "Islamophobia" and said , "We got ta be tough , not stupid" in the war against ISIL , adding that the U.S. should continue to welcome Syrian refugees . 
Sanders was born and raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1964 . 
The bill was opposed only by Sanders and Republican Rand Paul . 
After settling in Vermont in 1968 , Sanders ran unsuccessful third-party campaigns for governor and U.S. senator in the early to mid-1970s . 
Addressing Westminster College in a September 2017 speech , Sanders laid out a "progressive foreign policy" that pushes for greater international collaboration , an adherence to U.S.-led international agreements such as the Paris Agreement and the Iran nuclear deal framework , and the promotion of human rights and democratic ideals . 
Sanders also heavily criticized U.S. support for "murderous regimes" during the Cold War , such as those in Iran , Chile and El Salvador , and said that those actions continue to make the U.S. less safe . 
-LSB- 7 -RSB- -LSB- 8 -RSB- -LSB- 9 -RSB- Polls in the year 2017 showed that Sanders had the highest favorability rating of the leading political figures included in the polls . 
Born into a Democratic-voting family , Sanders was first introduced to political activism when his brother Larry joined the Young Democrats of America and campaigned for Adlai Stevenson II in 1956 . 
Sanders rose to national prominence after his 2010 filibuster against the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010 , which extended the Bush tax cuts that favored the wealthiest Americans . 
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 . 
Once elected to the House of Representatives , Sanders joined the Democratic caucus , though some conservative southern Democrats initially barred him from the caucus as they believed that allowing a self-described socialist to join it would harm their electoral prospects . 
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 % . 
On July 12 , 2016 , Sanders formally endorsed Clinton in her unsuccessful general election campaign against Republican 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 number 3 on The New York Times Best Seller list . 
In 2016 Sanders formed Our Revolution , a political organization dedicated to educating voters about issues , getting people involved in the political process , and electing progressive candidates . 
In February 2017 , Sanders began webcasting The [TGT] Show on Facebook . 
Sanders advocated that , following Trump 's victory in the 2016 elections , the Democratic Party undergo a "series of reforms" and that it had to "break loose from its corporate establishment ties and , once again , become a grass-roots party of working people , the elderly and the poor ." 
Sanders as a senior in high school , 1959 . 
Sanders was born on September 8 , 1941 , in Brooklyn , New York City . 
Sanders strongly opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and has criticized a number of policies instituted during the War on Terror , particularly mass surveillance and the USA Patriot Act . 
Sanders became interested in politics at an early age : "A guy named Adolf Hitler won an election in 1932 . 
Sanders has criticized President Trump for appointing multiple billionaires to his cabinet . 
Although he opposed the war , Sanders never criticized those who fought and has been a strong supporter of veterans ' benefits . 
-LSB- 274 -RSB- Sanders has promised to defeat "Trump and Trumpism and the Republican right-wing ideology" . 
Sanders lived on East 26th Street in Midwood , Brooklyn . 
-LSB- 33 -RSB- Sanders 's older brother , Larry , said that during their childhood , the family never lacked for food or clothing , but major purchases , "like curtains or a rug ," were difficult to afford . 
In 1963 , Sanders and Deborah Shiling , whom he met in college , volunteered for several months on the Israeli kibbutz Sha'ar HaAmakim . 
Sanders attended James Madison High School , also in Brooklyn , where he was captain of the track team and took third place in the New York City indoor one-mile race . 
-LSB- 31 -RSB- In high school , Sanders lost his first election , finishing last out of three candidates for the student body presidency . 
-LSB- 279 -RSB- -LSB- 280 -RSB- Sanders considers Jane 's three children -- Dave Driscoll -LRB- born 1975 -RRB- , Carina Driscoll -LRB- born 1974 -RRB- , and Heather Titus -LRB- née Driscoll -RRB- -LRB- born 1971 -RRB- -- to be his own . 
Sanders studied at Brooklyn College for a year in 1959 -- 60 -LSB- 35 -RSB- before transferring to the University of Chicago and graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in political science in 1964 . 
In December 1987 , during his tenure as mayor , Sanders recorded a folk album titled We Shall Overcome with 30 Vermont musicians . 
As Sanders was not skilled at singing , he performed his vocals in a talking blues style . 
-LSB- 283 -RSB- -LSB- 284 -RSB- Sanders appeared in a cameo role in the 1988 comedy-drama film Sweet Hearts Dance , playing a man who distributes candy to young trick-or-treaters . 
See also : Electoral history of [TGT] . 
-LSB- 286 -RSB- On February 6 , 2016 , Sanders was a guest star alongside Larry David on Saturday Night Live , playing a Polish immigrant on a steamship that was sinking near the Statue of Liberty . 
While at the University of Chicago , Sanders joined the Young People 's Socialist League -LRB- the youth affiliate of the Socialist Party of America -RRB- , -LSB- 37 -RSB- and was active in the Civil Rights Movement as a student organizer for the Congress of Racial Equality -LRB- CORE -RRB- and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee -LRB- SNCC -RRB- . 
-LSB- 22 -RSB- -LSB- 38 -RSB- Under Sanders 's chairmanship , the university chapter of CORE merged with the university chapter of SNCC . 
-LSB- 39 -RSB- In January 1962 , Sanders led a rally at the University of Chicago administration building to protest university president George Wells Beadle 's segregated campus housing policy . 
"We feel it is an intolerable situation when Negro and white students of the university can not live together in university-owned apartments ," Sanders said at the protest . 
Sanders and 32 other students then entered the building and camped outside the president 's office , performing the first civil rights sit-in in Chicago history . 
-LSB- 244 -RSB- Sanders supports Black Lives Matter . 
-LSB- 43 -RSB- Sanders once spent a day putting up fliers protesting against police brutality , only to eventually notice that a Chicago police car was shadowing him and taking them all down . 
Sanders received an Honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Brooklyn College on May 30 , 2017 . 
Sanders attended the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom , where Martin Luther King , Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech . 
After complaints made in 2016 by Donald Trump 's Vermont campaign chairman , the FBI launched an investigation into Sanders 's wife Jane 's involvement in a bank loan for Burlington College when she was its president . 
-LSB- 296 -RSB- -LSB- 297 -RSB- -LSB- 298 -RSB- -LSB- 299 -RSB- The Washington Post reported on June 25 , 2017 , that Sanders himself is not under FBI investigation . 
In addition to his civil rights activism during the 1960s and 1970s , -LSB- 48 -RSB- Sanders was active in several peace and antiwar movements . 
Sanders applied for conscientious objector status during the Vietnam War ; his application was eventually turned down , by which point he was too old to be drafted . 
After receiving nearly $ 900,000 in royalty advances for his recently published books , Sanders reported earnings of just over $ 1 million in 2016 . 
-LSB- 49 -RSB- -LSB- 50 -RSB- Sanders also worked on the reelection campaign of Leon Despres , a prominent Chicago alderman who was opposed to mayor Richard J. Daley 's Democratic Party machine . 
As Sanders described his upbringing as an American Jew in a 2016 speech : his father generally attended synagogue only on Yom Kippur ; he attended public schools while his mother "chafed" at his yeshiva Sunday schooling at a Hebrew school ; and their religious observances were mostly limited to Passover seders with their neighbors . 
After graduating from college , Sanders returned to New York City , where he initially worked at a variety of jobs , including Head Start teacher , psychiatric aide , and carpenter . 
-LSB- 36 -RSB- In 1968 , Sanders moved to Vermont because he had been "captivated by rural life ." 
In 1963 , in cooperation with the Labor Zionist youth movement Hashomer Hatzair , Sanders and his first wife volunteered at Sha'ar HaAmakim , a kibbutz in northern Israel . 
As mayor of Burlington , Sanders allowed a Chabad public menorah to be placed at city hall , an action contested by the local ACLU chapter . 
Sanders began his electoral political career in 1971 as a member of the Liberty Union Party , which originated in the anti-war movement and the People 's Party . 
-LSB- 55 -RSB- In the 1974 senatorial race , Sanders finished third -LRB- 5,901 votes ; 4.1 % -RRB- , behind 33-year-old Chittenden County State 's Attorney Patrick Leahy -LRB- D , VI ; 70,629 votes ; 49.4 % -RRB- and two-term incumbent U.S. Representative Dick Mallary -LRB- R ; 66,223 votes ; 46.3 % -RRB- . 
The 1976 campaign proved to be the zenith of Liberty Union 's influence , with Sanders collecting 11,000 votes for governor and the party . 
-LSB- 58 -RSB- The campaign drained the finances and energy of the Liberty Union , however , and in October 1977 , less than a year after the conclusion of the 1976 campaign , Sanders and the Liberty Union candidate for attorney general , Nancy Kaufman , announced their retirement from the party . 
Following his resignation from the Liberty Union Party in 1977 , Sanders worked as a writer and the director of the nonprofit American People 's Historical Society -LRB- APHS -RRB- . 
Sanders replied : -LSB- 314 -RSB- . 
In 1980 , Sanders ran for mayor of Burlington , Vermont -LRB- pop . 
Sanders does not regularly attend synagogue , and he works on Rosh Hashanah , a day when Jews typically take a holiday from work . 
The 39-year-old Sanders ran against incumbent Democratic mayor Gordon "Gordie" Paquette , a five-term mayor who had served as a member of the Burlington City Council for 13 years before that , building extensive community ties and a willingness to cooperate with Republican leaders in controlling appointments to various commissions . 
Republicans had found Paquette so unobjectionable that they failed to field a candidate in the March 1981 race against him , leaving Sanders as his principal opponent . 
Sanders 's effort was further aided by the decision of the candidate of the Citizens Party , Greg Guma , to exit the race so as not to split the progressive vote . 
Two other candidates in the race , independents Richard Bove and Joe McGrath , proved to be essentially non-factors in the campaign , with the battle coming down to Paquette and Sanders . 
Sanders has said he feels "very close" to Francis 's economic teachings , describing him as "incredibly smart and brave" . 
Sanders castigated the pro-development incumbent as an ally of prominent shopping center developer Antonio Pomerleau , while Paquette warned of ruin for Burlington if Sanders was elected . 
The Sanders campaign was bolstered by a wave of optimistic volunteers as well as by a series of endorsements from university professors , social welfare agencies , and the police union . 
The final result came as a shock to the local political establishment , with the maverick Sanders winning by just 10 votes . 
Sanders was reelected three times , defeating both Democratic and Republican candidates . 
-LSB- 62 -RSB- In his final run for mayor in 1987 , Sanders defeated Paul Lafayette , a Democrat endorsed by both major parties . 
-LSB- 63 -RSB- In 1986 , Sanders unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Governor Madeleine Kunin -LRB- D -RRB- in her run for reelection . 
Running as an independent , Sanders finished third with 14.4 % of the vote . 
After serving four two-year terms , Sanders chose not to seek reelection in 1989 . 
-LSB- 308 -RSB- -LSB- 309 -RSB- -LSB- 310 -RSB- -LSB- 311 -RSB- When asked about his Jewish heritage , Sanders has said he is "proud to be Jewish" . 
During his mayoralty , Sanders called himself a socialist and was so described in the press . 
-LSB- 67 -RSB- The Progressives never held more than six seats on the 13-member city council , but they had enough to keep the council from overriding Sanders 's vetoes . 
Under Sanders , Burlington became the first city in the country to fund community-trust housing . 
During the 1980s , Sanders was a staunch critic of U.S. foreign policy in Latin America . 
In his introduction , Sanders praised Chomsky as "a very vocal and important voice in the wilderness of intellectual life in America" and said he was "delighted to welcome a person who I think we 're all very proud of ." 
Sanders 's administration balanced the city budget and drew a minor league baseball team , the Vermont Reds , then the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds , to Burlington . 
As mayor , Sanders led extensive downtown revitalization projects . 
Sanders rarely speaks about religion . 
-LSB- 19 -RSB- In 1981 , Sanders campaigned against the unpopular plans by Burlington developer Tony Pomerleau to convert the then-industrial -LSB- 72 -RSB- waterfront property owned by the Central Vermont Railway into expensive condominiums , hotels , and offices . 
-LSB- 73 -RSB- Sanders ran under the slogan "Burlington is not for sale" and successfully supported a plan that redeveloped the waterfront area into a mixed-use district featuring housing , parks , and public space . 
Sanders hosted and produced a public-access television program , Bernie Speaks with the Community , from 1986 to 1988 . 
In 1987 , U.S. News & World Report ranked Sanders as one of America 's best mayors . 
Congressman Sanders in 1991 . 
See also : Electoral history of [TGT] . 
Sanders 's 1990 victory made him the first independent candidate to be elected to Congress since Frazier Reams in 1950 . 
-LSB- 81 -RSB- -LSB- 82 -RSB- Sanders served in the House from 1991 until he became a senator in 2007 . 
Sanders , who ran as an independent , placed second with 38 % of the vote , while Democratic State Representative Paul N. Poirier placed third with 19 % of the vote . 
-LSB- 83 -RSB- Two years later , Sanders ran for the seat again and defeated the incumbent Smith by a margin of 56 % to 39 % . 
Starting in November 2015 , in connection with his presidential campaign , Sanders 's announcements suggested that not only was he running as a Democrat , but that he would run as a Democrat in future elections . 
Sanders was the first independent elected to the U.S. House of Representatives since Frazier Reams 's election to represent Ohio 40 years earlier . 
During his first year in the House , Sanders often alienated allies and colleagues with his criticism of both political parties as working primarily on behalf of the wealthy . 
In 1991 , Sanders co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus , a group of mostly liberal Democrats that Sanders chaired for its first eight years , -LSB- 19 -RSB- while still refusing to join the Democratic Party or caucus . 
In 1993 , Sanders voted against the Brady Bill , which mandated federal background checks and imposed a waiting period on firearm purchasers in the United States ; the bill passed by a vote of 238 -- 187 . 
In 1994 , Sanders voted in favor of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act . 
Sanders said he voted for the bill "because it included the Violence Against Women Act and the ban on certain assault weapons" . 
-LSB- 261 -RSB- -LSB- 262 -RSB- -LSB- 263 -RSB- Since he remained a senator , elected as an independent , the United States Senate website continued to refer to Sanders as an independent during the campaign and upon his return to the senate . 
In 2015 , Sanders defended his vote , saying : "If somebody has a gun and it falls into the hands of a murderer and the murderer kills somebody with a gun , do you hold the gun manufacturer responsible ? 
Sanders voted against the resolutions authorizing the use of force against Iraq in 1991 and 2002 , and opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq . 
-LSB- 95 -RSB- Sanders voted for a non-binding resolution expressing support for troops at the outset of the invasion of Iraq , but gave a floor speech criticizing the partisan nature of the vote and the George W. Bush administration 's actions in the run-up to the war . 
Regarding the investigation of what turned out to be a leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame 's identity by a State Department official , Sanders stated : "The revelation that the President authorized the release of classified information in order to discredit an Iraq war critic should tell every member of Congress that the time is now for a serious investigation of how we got into the war in Iraq and why Congress can no longer act as a rubber stamp for the President ." 
On November 2 , 2005 , Sanders voted against the Online Freedom of Speech Act , which would have exempted the Internet from the campaign finance restrictions of the McCain -- Feingold Bill . 
Sanders was a consistent critic of the Patriot Act . 
-LSB- 99 -RSB- After its 357-to-66 passage in the House , Sanders sponsored and voted for several subsequent amendments and acts attempting to curtail its effects , -LSB- 100 -RSB- and voted against each re-authorization . 
-LSB- 101 -RSB- In June 2005 , Sanders proposed an amendment to limit Patriot Act provisions that allow the government to obtain individuals ' library and book-buying records . 
In March 2006 , after a series of resolutions passed in various Vermont towns calling for him to bring articles of impeachment against George W. Bush , Sanders stated that it would be "impractical to talk about impeachment" with Republicans in control of the House and Senate . 
-LSB- 103 -RSB- Still , Sanders made no secret of his opposition to the Bush Administration , which he regularly criticized for its cuts to social programs . 
Sanders was a vocal critic of Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan ; in June 2003 , during a question-and-answer discussion with the then-Chairman , Sanders told Greenspan that he was concerned that Greenspan was "way out of touch" and "that you see your major function in your position as the need to represent the wealthy and large corporations" . 
-LSB- 107 -RSB- -LSB- 108 -RSB- In October 2008 , after Sanders had been elected to the Senate , Greenspan admitted to Congress that his economic ideology regarding risky mortgage loans was flawed . 
-LSB- 109 -RSB- -LSB- 110 -RSB- In 1998 , Sanders voted and advocated against rolling back the Glass -- Steagall Legislation provisions that kept investment banks and commercial banks separate entities . 
-LSB- 255 -RSB- Although elected mayor of Burlington as an independent , Sanders endorsed Democratic presidential candidates Walter Mondale in 1984 and Jesse Jackson in 1988 . 
Sanders drew parallels between his campaign and that of the Labour Party in the 2017 UK general election . 
Sanders entered the race for the U.S. Senate on April 21 , 2005 , after Senator Jim Jeffords announced that he would not seek a fourth term . 
Chuck Schumer , chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee , endorsed Sanders , a critical move as it meant that no Democrat running against Sanders could expect to receive financial help from the party . 
Sanders was also endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Democratic National Committee chairman and former Vermont governor Howard Dean . 
Dean said in May 2005 that he considered Sanders an ally who "votes with the Democrats 98 % of the time" . 
-LSB- 112 -RSB- Then-Senator Barack Obama also campaigned for Sanders in Vermont in March 2006 . 
-LSB- 113 -RSB- Sanders entered into an agreement with the Democratic Party , much as he had as a congressman , to be listed in their primary but to decline the nomination should he win , which he did . 
In the most expensive political campaign in Vermont 's history , -LSB- 116 -RSB- Sanders defeated businessman Rich Tarrant by an approximately 2-to-1 margin . 
Many national media outlets projected Sanders as the winner just after the polls closed , before any returns came in . 
Sanders was only the third senator from Vermont to caucus with the Democrats , after Jeffords and Leahy . 
Polling conducted in August 2011 by Public Policy Polling found that Sanders 's approval rating was 67 % and his disapproval rating 28 % , making him then the third-most popular senator in the country . 
-LSB- 8 -RSB- Both the NAACP and the NHLA have given Sanders 100 % voting scores during his tenure in the Senate . 
-LSB- 119 -RSB- In 2015 Sanders was named one of the Top 5 of The Forward 50 . 
-LSB- 120 -RSB- In a November 2015 Morning Consult poll , Sanders had an approval rating of 83 % among his constituents , making him the most popular senator in the country . 
-LSB- 7 -RSB- Fox News found Sanders to have the highest net favorability at +28 points of any prominent politician included in its March 2017 poll . 
-LSB- 247 -RSB- -LSB- 248 -RSB- -LSB- 249 -RSB- Sanders criticized Israel 's actions during the 2014 Gaza war . 
As an independent , Sanders worked out a deal with the Senate Democratic leadership in which he agreed to vote with the Democrats on all procedural matters , except with permission from Democratic Whip Dick Durbin -LRB- a request that is rarely made or granted -RRB- . 
-LSB- 122 -RSB- -LSB- 123 -RSB- Sanders was free to vote as he pleased on policy matters , but almost always voted with the Democrats . 
-LSB- 317 -RSB- Sanders 's wife is Roman Catholic , and he has frequently expressed admiration for Pope Francis , saying that "the leader of the Catholic Church is raising profound issues . 
On September 24 , 2008 , Sanders posted an open letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson decrying the initial bank bailout proposal ; it drew more than 8,000 citizen cosigners in 24 hours . 
-LSB- 124 -RSB- On January 26 , 2009 , Sanders and Democrats Robert Byrd , Russ Feingold , and Tom Harkin were the sole majority members to vote against confirming Timothy Geithner as United States Secretary of the Treasury . 
On December 10 , 2010 , Sanders delivered an 81⁄2 - hour speech against the Tax Relief , Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization , and Job Creation Act of 2010 , the proposed extension of the Bush-era tax rates that eventually became law , saying "Enough is enough ! 
-LSB- 126 -RSB- -LSB- 127 -RSB- -LSB- 128 -RSB- In response to the speech , hundreds of people signed online petitions urging Sanders to run in the 2012 presidential election , and pollsters began measuring his support in key primary states . 
-LSB- 129 -RSB- Progressive activists such as Rabbi Michael Lerner and economist David Korten publicly voiced their support for a prospective Sanders run against President Barack Obama . 
-LSB- 129 -RSB- Sanders 's speech was published in February 2011 by Nation Books as The Speech : A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class , with authorial proceeds going to Vermont nonprofit charitable organizations . 
On March 17 , 2016 , Sanders said he would support Merrick Garland 's nomination to the Supreme Court , though he added , "there are some more progressive judges out there ." 
Sanders opposed Neil Gorsuch 's nomination to the Court , saying that Gorsuch had "refused to answer legitimate questions ." 
-LSB- 132 -RSB- Sanders also objected to the possibility of Senate Republicans using the nuclear option to "choke off debate and ram the nomination through the Senate ." 
-LSB- 256 -RSB- The Washington Post reported that the Jackson campaign helped inspire Sanders to work more closely with the Democratic Party . 
In January 2015 , Sanders became the ranking minority member of the Senate Budget Committee . 
While at the Vatican , Sanders met briefly with the pontiff . 
According to his senate website , Sanders 's committee assignments during 2016 were as follows : -LSB- 135 -RSB- . 
Main articles : [TGT] presidential campaign , 2016 and Democratic Party presidential primaries , 2016 . 
Sanders announced his intention to seek the Democratic Party 's nomination for president on April 30 , 2015 , and -LSB- 136 -RSB- -LSB- 137 -RSB- -LSB- 138 -RSB- his campaign was officially launched on May 26 , 2015 , in Burlington . 
-LSB- 137 -RSB- In his announcement , Sanders said , "I do n't believe that the men and women who defended American democracy fought to create a situation where billionaires own the political process ," and made this a central idea throughout his campaign . 
-LSB- 136 -RSB- -LSB- 137 -RSB- Senator Elizabeth Warren welcomed Sanders 's entry into the race , saying , "I 'm glad to see him get out there and give his version of what leadership in this country should be ." 
-LSB- 18 -RSB- -LSB- 318 -RSB- -LSB- 319 -RSB- In April 2016 , Sanders accepted an invitation from Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo , an aide close to the pope , to speak at a Vatican conference on economic and environmental issues . 
-LSB- 150 -RSB- On July 1 , 2015 , Sanders 's campaign stop in Madison , Wisconsin , drew the largest crowd of any 2016 presidential candidate to that date , with an estimated turnout of 10,000 . 
Unlike the other major candidates , Sanders did not pursue funding through a Super PAC or by wealthy donors , instead focusing on small individual donations . 
Sanders used social media to help his campaign gain momentum , -LSB- 145 -RSB- posting content to online platforms such as Twitter and Facebook and answering questions on Reddit . 
Sanders 's campaign events in June 2015 drew overflow crowds around the country , to his surprise . 
-LSB- 147 -RSB- -LSB- 148 -RSB- -LSB- 149 -RSB- When Hillary Clinton and Sanders made public appearances within days of each other in Des Moines , Iowa , Sanders drew larger crowds , even though he had already made numerous stops around the state and Clinton 's visit was her first in 2015 . 
-LSB- 37 -RSB- -LSB- 276 -RSB- -LSB- 277 -RSB- Sanders 's son , Levi Sanders , was born in 1969 to girlfriend Susan Campbell Mott . 
-LSB- 36 -RSB- In 1988 , Sanders married Jane O'Meara Driscoll -LRB- née Mary Jane O'Meara -RRB- , who later became president of Burlington College , in Burlington , Vermont . 
-LSB- 156 -RSB- In February 2016 , Clinton 's and Sanders 's campaigns agreed in principle to holding four more debates for a total of ten . 
Sanders expressed disappointment that Clinton would cancel the debate "before the largest and most important primary in the presidential nominating process" . 
An NBCWall Street Journal poll conducted in May found Clinton and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in a "dead heat" , but the same poll found that if Sanders were the Democratic nominee , 53 % of voters would support him to 39 % for Trump . 
-LSB- 159 -RSB- Clinton and Trump were the least popular likely candidates in the poll 's history , while Sanders received a 43 % positive , 36 % negative rating . 
-LSB- 160 -RSB- Polls showed that Democratic voters older than 50 preferred Clinton by a large margin but those under 50 overwhelmingly favored Sanders . 
Some supporters raised concerns that publications such as The New York Times minimized coverage of the Sanders campaign in favor of other candidates ' , especially Trump 's and Clinton 's . 
-LSB- 162 -RSB- -LSB- 163 -RSB- A December 2015 report found that the three major networks -- CBS , NBC , and ABC -- had spent 234 minutes reporting on Trump and 10 minutes on Sanders , despite their similar polling results . 
Sanders was in Phoenix , Arizona , on that date , speaking to a rally larger than any of the others , but his speech was not mentioned , let alone broadcast . 
-LSB- 230 -RSB- As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging , Sanders has introduced legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the Older Americans Act , which supports Meals on Wheels and other programs for seniors . 
-LSB- 166 -RSB- On July 12 , Sanders formally endorsed Clinton -LSB- 167 -RSB- but he continued to work with the Democratic National Convention organizers to implement the progressive positions he had been campaigning for . 
Sanders spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention on July 25 , giving Clinton his full support . 
Some of Sanders 's supporters attempted to protest Clinton 's nomination and booed when Sanders called for party unity . 
Sanders responded , "Our job is to do two things : to defeat Donald Trump and to elect Hillary Clinton ... It is easy to boo , but it is harder to look your kids in the face if we are living under a Trump presidency ." 
On November 8 , while Trump -LRB- while losing the popular vote -RRB- defeated Clinton in the general election nationwide , Sanders received almost 6 % of the vote in Vermont , despite not being a candidate in the election . 
Nationwide , it was possible to vote for Sanders as a write-in candidate in twelve states , -LSB- 171 -RSB- and exact totals of write-in votes for Sanders were published in three states : California , -LSB- 172 -RSB- New Hampshire , -LSB- 173 -RSB- and Vermont . 
-LSB- 170 -RSB- In those three states , Sanders received 111,850 write-in votes , which was approximately 15 % of the write-in votes nationwide , and 0.08 % of the nationwide number of votes overall . 
On December 19 , the day that the Electoral College convened in state capitols around the country , Sanders received one electoral vote for president , from David Mulinix , a faithless elector in Hawaii who also voted for fellow progressive firebrand Elizabeth Warren -LRB- instead of Clinton 's running mate Tim Kaine -RRB- for vice president . 
-LSB- 174 -RSB- Two other faithless electors , David Bright in Maine and Muhammad Abdurrahman in Minnesota , attempted to cast their electoral votes for Sanders , but their votes were invalidated by their states ' faithless elector laws ; Bright subsequently switched his vote to Clinton as pledged , while Abdurrahman was replaced by another elector who voted for Clinton as pledged . 
-LSB- 200 -RSB- Based on Sanders 's positions and votes throughout his political career , Noam Chomsky and Thomas Frank have described Sanders as "a New Dealer" . 
Sanders was one of five people who received electoral votes from faithless electors in the 2016 election ; the other four were former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell -LRB- who received three electoral votes -RRB- , -LSB- 177 -RSB- Native American activist Faith Spotted Eagle , -LSB- 177 -RSB- former U. S. Representative and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul , -LSB- 178 -RSB- and Governor John Kasich . 
In a March 2017 Fox News poll , Sanders 's 61 % approval rating was the highest among all politicians rated , versus 43 % for Donald Trump , 47 % for Mike Pence and 37 % for Paul Ryan . 
-LSB- 181 -RSB- In April 2017 , a nationwide Harvard-Harris Poll found Sanders had the highest favorability rating of the leading political figures included in the poll , -LSB- 182 -RSB- a standing confirmed by subsequent polling . 
Noam Chomsky stated in a May 2017 BBC interview that the Sanders campaign , by breaking with a century-old political system of reliance on corporate funding , was the most remarkable thing about the 2016 election . 
-LSB- 185 -RSB- Chomsky said Sanders "came from nowhere" , used the "scare word ` socialist '" , and "would have won the Democratic Party nomination if it had n't been for the shenanigans of the Obama-Clinton party managers who kept him out ." 
-LSB- 302 -RSB- According to Sanders 's close friend Richard Sugarman , a professor of religious studies at the University of Vermont , Sanders 's Jewish identity is "certainly more ethnic and cultural than religious" . 
In this role he mourned the Brooklyn Dodgers moving to Los Angeles , reflecting Sanders 's own upbringing in Brooklyn . 
Sanders 's book Our Revolution : A Future to Believe In was released in November 2016 . 
-LSB- 293 -RSB- -LSB- 294 -RSB- Sanders told CNN , "I owe my brother an enormous amount . 
To build on momentum gained during the 2016 election campaign , Sanders and supporters founded a political action committee and a political education organization : . 
Brand New Congress -- In April 2016 , former Sanders presidential campaign staffers formed a political organization , Brand New Congress , to elect Congressional representatives in line with the campaign 's political platform . 
Our Revolution -- In August 2016 , Sanders founded Our Revolution , an organization dedicated to educating voters about political issues , getting people involved in the political process , and recruiting and supporting candidates for local , state , and national office . 
On February 16 , 2017 , Sanders began webcasting The [TGT] Show using Facebook live streaming . 
Main article : Political positions of [TGT] . 
Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist , -LSB- 197 -RSB- and progressive who admires the Nordic model of social democracy and is a proponent of workplace democracy . 
-LSB- 198 -RSB- -LSB- 194 -RSB- -LSB- 199 -RSB- In November 2015 , Sanders gave a speech at Georgetown University about his view of democratic socialism , including its place in the policies of presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson . 
-LSB- 200 -RSB- -LSB- 201 -RSB- In defining what democratic socialism means to him , Sanders said : "I do n't believe government should take over the grocery store down the street or own the means of production , but I do believe that the middle class and the working families who produce the wealth of America deserve a decent standard of living and that their incomes should go up , not down . 
On December 4 , 2015 , Sanders won Time 's 2015 Person of the Year readers ' poll with 10.2 % of the vote -LSB- 288 -RSB- -LSB- 289 -RSB- but did not receive the editorial board 's award . 
-LSB- 300 -RSB- Both Sanders and his wife have retained prominent counsel during the investigation . 
Many commentators have noted the consistency of Sanders 's views throughout his political career . 
-LSB- 316 -RSB- Deborah Dash Moore , a Judaic scholar at the University of Michigan , has said that Sanders has a particular type of "ethnic Jewishness" that is somewhat old-fashioned . 
Calling international trade agreements a "disaster for the American worker" , Sanders voted against and has spoken for years against NAFTA , CAFTA , and PNTR with China , saying that they have resulted in American corporations moving abroad . 
Sanders focuses on economic issues such as income and wealth inequality , -LSB- 193 -RSB- -LSB- 206 -RSB- raising the minimum wage , -LSB- 207 -RSB- universal healthcare , -LSB- 208 -RSB- reducing the burden of student debt , -LSB- 209 -RSB- making public colleges and universities tuition-free by taxing financial transactions , -LSB- 210 -RSB- and expanding Social Security benefits by eliminating the cap on the payroll tax on all incomes above $ 250,000 . 
Sanders 's elder brother , Larry , lives in England . 
Sanders advocates bold action to reverse global warming and substantial investment in infrastructure , with "energy efficiency and sustainability" and job creation as prominent goals . 
-LSB- 218 -RSB- -LSB- 219 -RSB- Sanders opposes the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline on the grounds that , like the Keystone XL Pipeline , it "will have a significant impact on our climate ." 
Sanders has advocated greater democratic participation by citizens , campaign finance reform , and a constitutional amendment or judicial decision that would overturn Citizens United v. FEC . 
Sanders is a staunch supporter of a universal health care system , and has said , "If you are serious about real healthcare reform , the only way to go is single-payer ." 
-LSB- 42 -RSB- Joan Mahoney , a member of the University of Chicago CORE chapter at the time and a fellow participant in the sit-ins , described Sanders in a 2016 interview as" ... a swell guy , a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn , but he was n't terribly charismatic . 
On May 4 , 2017 , in response to the House vote to repeal and replace The Affordable Care Act , Sanders predicted "thousands of Americans would die" from no longer having access to health care . 
-LSB- 233 -RSB- Politifact rated Sanders 's statement "mostly true" . 
In September 2017 , Sanders and 15 Senate co-sponsors submitted the "Medicare for All" bill , a single-payer health care plan . 
Sanders has responded that the Republican party has no credibility on the issue of health care after recently voting for legislation that would take health insurance away from 32 million people under the Affordable Care Act -LRB- "Obamacare" -RRB- . 
Sanders has liberal stances on social issues , having advocated for LGBT rights and against the Defense of Marriage Act . 
-LSB- 236 -RSB- Sanders described his opposition to DOMA as being on states ' rights grounds .