Bernard Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is the senior United States senator from Vermont, serving since 2007. He is the longest serving independent in modern U.S. congressional history, and he caucuses with Senate Democrats.
Raised in Brooklyn, Sanders studied at Brooklyn College before graduating from the University of Chicago in 1964. In the early 1960s he became active in the civil rights movement, organizing and participating in CORE and SNCC efforts and campus housing sit ins.
After moving to Vermont, he ran a series of third party campaigns in the 1970s before winning the Burlington mayoralty as an independent in 1981. He later served in the U.S. House (1991 to 2007) and has been reelected to the Senate multiple times.
Nationally, Sanders is identified with democratic socialist and progressive politics. His 2016 and 2020 presidential runs helped mainstream policies like Medicare for All, a higher minimum wage, expanded labor rights, and aggressive climate investment, powered by a small dollar fundraising base.
Democratic Socialist
Committee Assignments
Caucus Memberships
Achievements
- National leader of the modern progressive movement and a central figure in shifting Democratic policy debate leftward
- Built a durable small dollar fundraising model and grassroots organizing network through two presidential runs
- Major Senate voice on labor, wages, healthcare expansion, and anti monopoly and anti corporate concentration politics
- Longstanding advocacy for veterans, including work tied to VA access and accountability reforms
- Elevated climate investment and economic inequality to core national agenda issues
Controversies
- Critics argue his agenda is too costly or politically difficult to enact through the Senate
- Faces pushback from moderates who view his primary campaigns as divisive inside the Democratic coalition
- Foreign policy opponents label him overly dovish and skeptical of U.S. military power
- Has drawn scrutiny over past votes on firearms and a 2005 vote shielding gun manufacturers from certain liability claims
- Seen by opponents as more movement leader than legislative dealmaker
Top Donors
| Donor | Total | Individuals | PACs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Inc | $50,918 | $50,918 | $0 |
| Kaiser Permanente | $40,261 | $40,261 | $0 |
| Apple Inc | $38,108 | $38,108 | $0 |
| Amazon.com | $35,135 | $35,135 | $0 |
| US Postal Service | $34,482 | $34,482 | $0 |
Amounts shown reflect organization linked giving; most funds listed here are from individual donors rather than corporate PAC money.
Recent Elections
2006 Margin D +33%
2012 Margin D +46%
2018 Margin D +40%