Bernie Sanders is an American politician and Senator of Vermont who rose as the people's candidate during the 2016 Presidential Election. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he attended the University of Chicago where he was a student activist and organizer for the Congress of Racial Equality and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the Civil Rights Movement. After graduating in 1964, he relocated to Vermont and unsuccessfully ran as a third-party candidate for US Senator and Governor during the 1970s before running as an independent and finally being elected as Mayor of Burlington in 1981. Though he won by a margin of only ten votes, Sanders went on to be reelected three times. After his tenure as Mayor, he was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1990 and founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus in 1991. After serving as congressman for 16 years, he successfully ran for US Senate in 2006 and was reelected in 2012 with an unprecedented 71% of the popular vote. Sanders stepped onto the national stage in 2010, after his eight-hour filibuster of the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010, which despite its name favored the wealthiest Americans. Earning a reputation as one of the most progressive American leaders, he's been a staunch opponent of politics as usual for Democrats and Republicans. He remains unafraid to tackle any issue from campaign finance reform, systemic racism, income inequality, LGBT rights, corporate welfare and universal healthcare and is often critical of US foreign policy, particularly in opposition of the Iraq War. Though he was still a relatively unknown Senator when he announced his campaign for President in 2015, Sanders quickly proved himself a formidable opponent to the Democratic favorite Hillary Clinton. During the course of the primaries, he proved himself to be a defender of the people through his unwavering support for universal healthcare, affordable education, regulating Wall Street. Arguably his most impressive feat was defying all conventional rules of campaign financing. Throughout the election he rejected large donations from financial industries, corporations, and all associated Super PACs and instead built a record-breaking coalition of small donors, receiving nearly 7 million individual contributions with an average of $27 per person. Despite his popularity and favorability to beat the Republican nominee, Sanders lost the primary race to Clinton before formally endorsing her in July of 2016. Despite the loss, he continues to serve as a champion for the American people through his work organization Our Revolution, a progressive action committee dedicated to electing progressive candidates, educating voters and getting people involved in the political process. Sanders also remains the longest-serving independent politician in US history.
