Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will seek a fourth term in the Senate, putting to rest speculation over the progressive icon’s political future.
At 82, Sanders is the second-oldest member of the Senate, raising questions about whether he would retire. He ruled out a third run for president a year ago but left political watchers waiting until weeks before the May 30 filing deadline to announce his reelection plans.
The Vermont independent promised to address the same issues that have defined his decadeslong political career in a video announcing his decision: universal healthcare, climate change, and challenging corporate “greed.”
But he also cited his growing seniority in pitching himself to voters. Sanders became the chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions at the start of the new Congress and is a member of Democratic leadership.
“In recent years, working together, we have made important progress in addressing some very serious challenges. But much, much more needs to be done if we are to become the state and the nation our people deserve,” he said in the video, posted to X on Monday.
Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats, has not faced a serious challenge in his reelection bids. In 2018, he won deep-blue Vermont by 40 percentage points.
But his race was among the last question marks in a Senate map peppered with retirements. Centrist voices, including Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), will leave the chamber at the start of the new year, while Sanders pledged to use his influence to continue steering the Democratic Party to the left.
In his announcement video, he reiterated his call for the Biden administration to halt offensive military assistance to Israel as it wages a casualty-heavy war against Hamas in Gaza.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Sanders has used his perch on the HELP Committee to scrutinize what he calls Big Pharma and other corporate interests, bringing the CEOs of major drug companies to testify under threat of subpoena. He also highlighted his former chairmanship of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Sanders would be 89 at the end of his fourth Senate term if reelected in November. Only Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who won an eighth term in 2022, is older.
