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Sanders has ties to two of the nation's largest cities. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is a graduate of the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the Young People's Socialist League and active in the Civil Rights Movement as a protest organizer for the Congress of Racial Equality and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In 1963, he participated in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. After moving to Vermont in 1968, Sanders ran unsuccessful third party campaigns for Governor and U.S. Senator in the early to mid-1970s. As an independent, Sanders was elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont's most populous city, in 1981. He was reelected three times before being elected to represent Vermont's at-large congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in 1990. He served as a congressman for 16 years before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. In 2012, he was reelected, capturing almost 71% of the popular vote.
Sanders is a leading progressive voice on issues such as income inequality, universal healthcare, parental leave, climate change, LGBT rights, and campaign finance reform. He gained national notice for his 2010 filibuster against the proposed extension of the Bush tax cuts. He has been a leading critic of mass surveillance policies such as the USA PATRIOT Act, as well as racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. He was an early and outspoken opponent of the Iraq War.
In a November 2013 interview for an article entitled "Why I Might Run in 2016", Sanders cited global warming, economic inequality, frustration with the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court decision and the importance of maintaining public programs like Medicare and Medicaid as issues motivating him to consider running for president. In a March 6, 2014, interview with The Nation, Sanders stated that he was "prepared to run for President of the United States" and said he was discussing a campaign for president with people around the country, but felt that it was still premature to make an announcement.
On April 28, 2015, Vermont Public Radio reported that Sanders would announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 30. In an interview with USA Today on April 29, Sanders stated that he was "running in this election to win," and his campaign website was launched. Sanders said he was motivated to enter the race by what he termed "obscene levels" of income disparity, and the campaign finance system. On May 26, Sanders officially announced his candidacy at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont.
Earlier, Sanders told the Associated Press on April 29 that he would release "very specific proposals" to increase taxes on the wealthy and corporations, offer tuition-free higher education at public universities, and pass a single-payer Medicare-for-All healthcare system. He also noted his support for substantial regulations of Wall Street and opposition to the NAFTA and CAFTA trade agreements and the Keystone XL pipeline. He once again spoke about reversing the "obscene levels" of income and wealth inequality that have eroded the middle class over the last 40 years.
Sanders also talked about what he considers to be "real family values". He said "The right has claimed the mantle of 'family values' for far too long. When my Republican colleagues use the term they’re usually talking about things like opposition to contraception, denying a woman’s right to choose, opposition to gay rights, and support for abstinence-only education," Sanders advocates what he calls "real family values" which include paid sick time, paid vacations, and access to paid family leave. Speaking on woman's pro-choice issues, he commented that Republicans believe that a woman "cannot control her own body. I disagree. Let's say it loud and clear: Women control their own bodies – not the government."
Sanders claims that he has "never run a negative political ad in my life," and said that he will run a positive campaign with "serious debates on serious issues." He also said that if he is elected president, a cabinet under his administration "would not be dominated by representatives of Wall Street". He has named Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz, and Robert Reich as potential cabinet members.
Unlike almost all other presidential candidates, Sanders will not pursue funding through a Super PAC, instead focusing on small individual donations. He said "We now have a political situation where billionaires are literally able to buy elections and candidates." He has called for an overturning of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, stating “To equate the ability of billionaires to buy elections with ‘freedom of speech’ is totally absurd. The Supreme Court is paving the way toward an oligarchic form of society in which a handful of billionaires like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson will control our political process.”
Sanders raised over $1.5 million in the first 24 hours after he announced his presidential campaign on April 30, 2015. This was greater than the amount raised by any of the Republican candidates in the first 24 hours after their respective announcements. By May 5, Sanders campaign had received approximately 75,000 contributions and had raised $3 million, with the average donation being $43. According to a campaign adviser, 99.4 percent of the donations were $250 or less, and 185,000 supporters had signed up on the campaign's website. Reports to the Federal Election Commission in July 2015 showed a total of $15.2 million in donations to the Sanders campaign with an average donation of $31.30. He reported total spending of $3 million. He surpassed Hillary Clinton for the month. Her campaign reported $18.7 million. At the end of June Sanders had $12.1 million in cash; Clinton had $28.9 million.
Sanders's campaign events have been drawing huge crowds across the country. It has been reported that crowds at his events are much larger than those of any other presidential candidate. A Sanders campaign event in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on July 3, drew over 2,500 supporters. To date, this was the largest audience for any 2016 presidential candidate in Iowa, an important early primary state. Sanders drew a crowd of over 12,000 in Seattle, Washington on August 8. The rally took place in the basketball arena of the University of Washington, which was filled to capacity. Before the rally, Sanders spoke to an additional 3,000 supporters outside who could not get into the arena. Black Lives Matter activists had interrupted an earlier event, which the campaign shut down in response. The rally in Seattle was part of a three-day West Coast tour. On the following day, August 9, Sanders spoke to a record crowd of 20,000 supporters inside the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The event was again filled to capacity, with 8,000 supporters waiting in the overflow area provided by venue officials. The West Coast tour ended on August 10, with a large rally in Los Angeles, California. The event was filled to capacity, with the Sanders campaign claiming over 27,000 people turned out, breaking the record he set the day before. The rally included an introduction by comedian Sarah Silverman.
Sanders has good support in both New Hampshire and Iowa, early primary election states. Two August 2015 polls showed Sanders leading Hillary Clinton by seven points. Both the RealClearPolitics polling average and Huffington Post Pollster average for the New Hampshire Democratic primary showed Sanders leading Clinton by about 3.5 percent on August 28, 2015. A poll released in September 2015, showed that Sanders was leading Clinton Iowa with 41% to Clinton's 40%.
Following are some of the political positions taken by Sanders on some of the leading issues:
Income and wealth inequality: This is a major issue for Sanders, who has said "What we have seen is that while the average person is working longer hours for lower wages, we have seen a huge increase in income and wealth inequality, which is now reaching obscene levels. This is a rigged economy, which works for the rich and the powerful, and is not working for ordinary Americans. You know, this country just does not belong to a handful of billionaires."
Minimum wage: In July 2015 Sanders introduced legislation that would incrementally increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by the year 2020.
Taxes: Sanders has called for the repeal of some of the tax deductions that benefit hedge funds and corporations, and said that he would raise taxes on capital gains and the wealthiest two percent of Americans. He would use some of the added revenues to lower the taxes of the middle and lower classes.
Wall Street reform: On May 6, 2015, Sanders introduced legislation to break up "too big to fail" financial institutions. With three of the four banks that were bailed out during the 2007–08 Global Financial Crisis now larger than they were then, Sanders believes that "no single financial institution should have holdings so extensive that its failure would send the world economy into crisis. If an institution is too big to fail, it is too big to exist."
Labor issues: Sanders supports legislation that would make it easier for workers to join or form a union.
Environment: Sanders considers global warming a serious problem. In a July 26, 2012 speech in the Senate, Sanders said claims made by Senator Jim Inhofe: "When Senator Inhofe says global warming is a hoax, he is just dead wrong, according to the vast majority of climate scientists."
Health care: 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." He advocates lowering the cost of drugs that are high because they remain under patent for years. 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. Sanders believes that supporting seniors "is not only the right thing to do, it is the financially smart thing to do" because it decreases expensive hospitalizations and allows seniors to remain in their homes.
Campaign finance: Sanders supports the DISCLOSE Act, which would make campaign finances more transparent and ban U.S. corporations controlled by foreign interests from making political donations. He wants the Supreme Court decision of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission to be overturned, saying that the decision is "one of the Supreme Court's worst decisions ever" and that it has allowed big money to "deflect attention from the real issues" facing voters. He has proposed a constitutional amendment to undo the ruling.
Israel: Sanders supports Israel's right to exist and supports a two-state solution. But he has been critical of Israel. A statement published on his Senate website read: "Sanders believes the Israeli attacks that killed hundreds of innocent people – including many women and children – in bombings of civilian neighborhoods and UN controlled schools, hospitals, and refugee camps were disproportionate, and the widespread killing of civilians is completely unacceptable. Israel's actions took an enormous human toll, and appeared to strengthen support for Hamas and may well be sowing the seeds for even more hatred, war and destruction in future years." He was the first senator to boycott a speech made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Congress in opposition to nuclear negotiations with Iran made in close proximity to a legislative election in Israel.
NSA Surveillance: Sanders is critical of U.S. government surveillance policies. He voted against the USA PATRIOT Act and all of its renewals and has characterized the National Security Agency as "out of control." He has frequently criticized warrantless wiretapping and the collection of the phone, email, library, and internet browsing records of American citizens without due process. He said: "The NSA is out of control and operating in an unconstitutional manner. I worry very much about kids growing up in a society where they think 'I'm not going to talk about this issue, read this book, or explore this idea because someone may think I'm a terrorist.' That is not the kind of free society I want for our children."
Iraq: Sanders was in the minority of those who strongly opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He voted against the 2002 resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. In a 2002 speech, he said, "I am opposed to giving the President a blank check to launch a unilateral invasion and occupation of Iraq" and "I will vote against this resolution. One, I have not heard any estimates of how many young American men and women might die in such a war or how many tens of thousands of women and children in Iraq might also be killed. As a caring Nation, we should do everything we can to prevent the horrible suffering that a war will cause. War must be the last recourse in international relations, not the first. Second, I am deeply concerned about the precedent that a unilateral invasion of Iraq could establish in terms of international law and the role of the United Nations."
Isis: Sanders has called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) "a barbaric organization" and "a growing threat," but says that the U.S. should lead the fight against it. He has said "we should not be involved in perpetual warfare in the Middle East--the Muslim Countries themselves must lead the effort."
Education: Sanders has introduced legislation to provide child care and early education to all children six weeks old through kindergarten. He has spoken out against the high interest rates on federal student loans, noting that in the next ten years, the federal government will profit by as much as $127 billion from them. He has also criticized President Obama for signing legislation that temporarily froze student loan interest rates in exchange for allowing the rates to reach historic highs over the next two years. Sanders has developed a plan to bring matching grants from the federal and state governments to cut tuition at public universities by more than half. Sanders is in favor of public funding for college students. On May 19, 2015, Sanders introduced the College for All Act which would impose a tax of 50 cents on every "$100 of stock trades on stock sales" to fund tuition at four-year public colleges and universities for students who meet admission standards. In addition, the tax would include a .5% speculation fee to be charged on investment houses, hedge funds, and other stock trades, while a .1% fee would be charged on bonds, and a .005% fee on derivatives.
Marijuana: Saunders has said "It is an obscenity that we stigmatize so many young Americans with a criminal record for smoking marijuana, but not one major Wall Street executive has been prosecuted for causing the near collapse of our entire economy. This must change."
Paid leave: Sanders supports changes to the law which would require companies to provide their workers with parental leave, sick leave, and vacation time. He argues that such laws have been adopted by almost every developed country, and that there are significant disparities among the types of workers who have access to paid sick and paid vacation time. He has sponsored a bill known as Sanders' Guaranteed Paid Vacation Act which would mandate that companies provide 10 days of paid vacation for employees who have worked for them for at least one year. He is cosponsoring a Senate bill that would give mothers and fathers 12 weeks of paid family leave to care for a baby. Sanders has also cosponsored a bill that would guarantee workers at least seven paid sick days per year for short-term illness, routine medical care, or to care for a sick family member.
Gun control: Sanders supports banning semi-automatic weapons and closing a loophole that allows buyers to skirt regulations when making a purchase at a gun show. He is also in favor of instant background checks for gun owners. However Sanders dismissed the idea that gun safety measures could have prevented the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, saying “if you passed the strongest gun control legislation tomorrow, I don’t think it will have a profound effect on the tragedies we have seen.”
Criminal justice reform: Sanders has called for reforms to sentencing guidelines, drug policy, and use of force policies within police departments. He notes that there are more people incarcerated in the U.S. than any country in the world at an annual cost to taxpayers of $70 billion. Sanders argues that this money would be better spent on education and jobs. He has spoken out against the uneven rates of arrest of African-Americans and other minorities. Sanders has also spoken out against the privatization of prisons, calling it "morally repugnant and a national tragedy that we have privatized prisons all over America. In my view, corporations should not be allowed to make a profit by building more jails and keeping more Americans behind bars. We have got to end the private-for-profit prison racket in America." He plans to introduce legislation to abolish private prisons when congress reconvenes in September 2015.
Death penalty: Sanders is opposed to the death penalty.
Immigration: Sanders voted for the comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013. He is opposed to guest worker programs. He believes a path to citizenship should be created for new immigrants.