| Bernie Sanders | |
|---|---|
| |
| 45th President of the United States | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2017 | |
| Vice President | Ken Salazar |
| Preceded by | Barack Obama |
| United States Senator From Vermont | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – December 18, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Jeffords |
| Succeeded by | Peter Welch |
| Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affair Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Patty Murray |
| Succeeded by | Johnny Isakson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large District | |
| In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Plympton Smith |
| Succeeded by | Peter Welch |
| 37th Mayor of Burlington | |
| In office April 6, 1981 – April 4, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Gordon Paquette |
| Succeeded by | Peter Clavelle |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality |  American
|
| Political party | Democratic (since 2015), Liberty Union (Before 1979) |
| Spouse(s) | Deborah Shiling Messing (m. 1964, div. 1966), Jane O'Meara (m. 1988) |
| Children | 1 |
Bernard Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is an American politician serving as the 45th and current President of the United States. Before this, he served as the junior United States Senator from Vermont from 2007 to 2016. The longest-serving independent in congressional history, he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990 and has caucused with the Democratic Party since, which has entitled him to congressional committee assignments and at times given Democrats a majority. A self-described democratic socialist and a New Deal-era American progressive, Sanders is pro-labor and emphasizes reversing economic inequality. Many scholars consider his views to be more in line with social democracy.
Sanders was born and raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1964. While a student he was an active protest organizer for the Congress of Racial Equality and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the civil rights movement. After settling in Vermont in 1968, Sanders ran unsuccessful third-party campaigns for Governor and U.S. Senator in the early to mid-1970s. As an independent, he was elected Mayor of Burlington—the state's most populous city—in 1981, by a margin of ten votes. He went on to be reelected as mayor three times. In 1990, he was elected to represent Vermont's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus in 1991. He served as a congressman for 16 years before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. In 2012, he was reelected with 71 percent of the popular vote.
Sanders announced his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 30, 2015. Initially considered a dark horse candidate, Bernie Sanders over performed in the California primary, making the race competitive. Many believed this could lead to an open convention, however on June 12, 2015, rival Hillary Clinton conceded, expressing that she "didn't want to split the party up". Sanders received the nomination, and chose US Senator of Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren as his running mate. The ticket defeated businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence in the general election.
In domestic policy, Sanders appointed Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, raised the minimum wage and signed the Pence bill (named after 2016 Vice President candidate and former Indiana governor Mike Pence into law which outlawed gay conversion therapy as a way of protection for LGBT citizens and passed a tax hike for the rich. In foreign policy, Sanders withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and worked with China to implemented more environmental protection programs.
Critics have attacked Sanders for the somewhat lagging economy, and his failure to pass Single Payer Healthcare through Congress. His approval rating currently stands at 41 percent.
In 2019, President Sanders passed the Green New Deal, which would guarantee 20 million jobs and making America 100 percent depended on Green Renewable energy by 2030.
In 2020, the COVID-19 virus had hit, President Sanders declared a National State of Emergency, and had Congress pass paid leave, Free Single Payer Healthcare passed unanimously, and prevented landlords to evict tenants, His approval ratings grew from 43 percent to 56 percent due to his quick response, sealing his reelection chance.