Bernie Sanders may have pulled the plug on his 2020 Democratic presidential run, but his influence over a young generation of jazzed-up voters still looms large.
The white-haired, septuagenarian senator from Vermont successfully galvanized the American Left in 2016 when he ran against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Four years later, he was at it again — pounding the pavement and riling up supporters that had latched onto his progressive agenda.
Sanders, who ended his run in April, was the last primary challenger standing against former Vice President Joe Biden.
Despite the loss, the self-described socialist democrat still retains the party’s largest cohesive constituency in a base unwavering in its support of him. And while a White House win wasn’t in the cards for Sanders, he has succeeded in pushing the Democratic Party significantly leftward.
He helped popularize Medicare for all, something that was seen as far-left less than a decade ago. Now, the moderate party position is universal coverage with a public option — something few thought was possible.
Sanders has also pushed for a $15 minimum wage, championed tuition-free public college, and backed initiatives to combat climate change.
Sanders is also widely seen as the lawmaker who will fight for the little guy and take on Wall Street fat cats, something that endeared him to Democrats.
After his 2016 presidential run, many of Sanders’s supporters had a hard time warming up to the idea of Clinton leading the country. It has been argued that his army of disgruntled supporters might have cost Democrats the election.
Sanders has said he will do everything he can to make sure there’s not a repeat performance this year.
At the Democratic National Convention, he made a powerful pitch to his loyalists to unite for a common cause.
“Together, we have moved this country in a bold new direction,” he said. “Our movement continues and is getting stronger every day. But, let us be clear, if Donald Trump is reelected, all the progress we have made will be in jeopardy.”
Some of Sanders’s top advisers formed joint task forces with their counterparts in Biden’s camp to hammer out agreements on policy issues.
In October, Sanders headed to the battleground states of New Hampshire and Michigan to stump for Biden and soothe any lingering tensions between the party’s progressive and centrist factions.
