Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) may not yet be done feeling the burn of presidential elections.
The firebrand from Vermont revealed that he is undecided about a bid for the presidency in 2024, leaving the door open to mounting another Democratic primary challenge against President Joe Biden after his defeat in 2020.
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“I haven’t made that decision right now,” Sanders told CBS Mornings. “Right now, my focus … [is] trying to elect — often young progressives, often young people of color [are the ones] who are prepared to stand up for working families and take on big money interests.”
Sanders vied for the presidency in 2016 and 2020, but he lost the Democratic primary in both races.
The socialist also sidestepped questions about whether he believes Biden should throw his hat in the ring for 2024, insisting that’s “his decision.”
Both Sanders, 81, and Biden, 79, have been needled with consternation among some Democrats about their ages. The senator would be 83 at the start of his term in 2025 if elected, while Biden would be 82, rendering either of them the oldest president in U.S. history. Sanders downplayed apprehension about age.
“You wanna restore democracy? Have a government that works for ordinary people”: @SenSanders says Democrats’ agenda going into the midterms should “speak to the needs of working people.”
He shares which policies they should focus on — and talks 2024. pic.twitter.com/KcqDvghR00
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) September 27, 2022
“We’re all different. You’ve got to look at the individual. But what I think we do, guys, is we look too much at race, gender, and age,” Sanders said. “What does somebody stand for? What are their views? Do you agree with them? Are they standing for you? … And obviously you want people who are competent, capable.”
Although refraining from committing to 2024, Sanders rattled off many of his top political objectives.
“We have got to end the [un]certainty of being the only major country on Earth not to guarantee healthcare to all people. Healthcare is a human right,” he said. “We should raise the minimum wage to a living wage. We should expand Social Security because half of the elderly people in this country trying to get by $25,000 a year.”
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A number of Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), have refrained so far from backing Biden in 2024, arguing it’s too early to say. Biden has voiced his intent to run, but he has not set it in stone, saying it’s “just an intention.”
