Bernie Sanders announces he is running for President

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday announced he’s running for president in 2020. 

Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016. He ultimately lost to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but went from being a relatively obscure political figure to a household name along the way. 

His 2016 campaign shocked much of the country, as no one expected him to pose a significant challenge to Clinton at the start. But his populist platform and matter-of-fact style of speaking, along with his thick Brooklyn accent, won over a significant cohort of voters. 

He told Vermont Public Radio that he is seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. 

“I wanted to let the people of the state of Vermont know about this first,” he said. “And what I promise to do is, as I go around the country, is to take the values that all of us in Vermont are proud of — a belief in justice, in community, in grassroots politics, in town meetings — that’s what I’m going to carry all over this country.” 

The Vermont senator was especially popular with young voters in 2016, garnering more votes from this demographic than either of the two major-party presidential nominees combined. 

But he struggled to win over the Democratic establishment, and many dismissed his policy proposals as idealistic and unrealistic.

Written by Abelina Tavera