Who is Bernie Sanders?

Bernie Sanders, who gave Hillary Clinton a tough run for her money for the Democratic Party’s Presidential candidacy, was once considered by many, the future President of the US with many polls confirming the same. However, after losing out, he lent his support to the former Secretary of State to beat Donald Trump in the race to the White House.

Though Sanders has had a long and lustrous career in the American politics, not much is known about him. One of America’s few Independent legislators, he found his achievements to be overshadowed by the fame and popularity of Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton during the Presidential elections of 2016.

Do you know who is Bernie Sanders and what he has achieved in his political career? Scroll down to learn about the great politician.

(Image Courtesy: Huffington Post)

Early Life And Education

Born on 8 September 1941 in New York, Bernie hails from a struggling working-class family, where his father was a paint salesman. After attending James Madison High School in Brooklyn, he spent a year at Brooklyn College before transferring to the University of Chicago. As a student, he was actively involved in Civil Rights Movement, a member of Congress of Racial Equality and an organizer of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. After gaining a degree in political science in 1964, he lived on a Kibbutz in Israel for a short time and applied for conscientious objector status during the Vietnam War, which was rejected.

Political Career

As a member of the Liberty Union Party, Bernie Sanders made several unsuccessful attempts at gaining a public office in the 1970s. However, he could only taste his first political victory in 1981, when he was elected as the Mayor of Burlington beating his opponent by only a few more votes than his opponent. Owing to his grassroots organization and support of the Progressive Coalition, he was re-elected three more times.

In 1990, he successfully grabbed a seat in the US House of Representatives, despite being the underdog. With the victory, he became the first Independent candidate to be elected to the office in 40 years. He served in the same position for the next 16 years, till 2006, when he decided to run for the United States Senate for the state of Vermont and defeated the Republican candidate Richard Tarrant, despite the latter’s considerable funding. He was re-elected to the Senate in 2012.

(Image Courtesy: Politico)

Presidential Race

In April 2015, Sanders announced his ambition to contest the 2016 Presidential elections and since the candidacy would require an enormous amount of money and time, he decided to become the Democratic Party’s Presidential candidate. Though he was considered an underdog against the frontrunner, Bernie proved that he could be a dark horse in the race. Several exit polls, such as the Quinnipiac University poll, released in the month of February in 2016, suggested that he was favored among all the top candidates in the race, including Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

However, the Senator lost the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination to Hillary, despite showing great results in several exit polls. The 17-year old politician continues to serve as the Senator for the state of Vermont. One of his political achievements is becoming the longest serving independent in congressional history. He is currently a member of Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senate Budget Committee, and was the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, which passed the legislation for the reformation of the VA health care system in 2014.

(Image Courtesy: The Daily Peanut)

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(Featured Image Courtesy: Mother Zones)