Bernie Sanders is running with confidence.
The 73-year-old Independent senator from Vermont, who officially entered the race for president as a Democrat Thursday, told USA TODAY in a recent interview that he is “running in this election to win.”
“We’ve got a long path forward,” Sanders admitted. “Most people in America have never heard of Bernie Sanders. More than 90 percent of Americans have heard of Hillary Clinton. … I will absolutely be outspent. But I do believe we have a chance to raise significant amounts of money through small, individual contributions.”
Sanders decided to make a bid for the White House after traveling nationwide and assessing the existence of “grass-roots support” for his campaign which will “take on the billionaire class.”
Sanders insisted that regular Americans are unhappy with “the greed of corporate America.”
“I believe they want a fundamental change so that government works for ordinary Americans and not just billionaires,” he affirmed.
While Sanders wouldn’t say whether or not he is a better candidate than Hillary Clinton — “We’ll let the American people make that decision,” he said coyly — the Independent lawmaker has said that he can win against her, as he did during a recent interview with Fusion’s Jorge Ramos.
He exuded similar confidence Wednesday, telling USA TODAY, “It probably would not be a good idea for people to underestimate me.”
Sanders explained that his run for president will be a “good thing” for the Democratic party.
“Having a serious debate about issues that affect working families is important for the Democratic party and the United States of America,” he alleged. “Debate is a good thing.”
Sanders will presumably run to the left of Hillary Clinton as he challenges the former secretary of State in the Democratic primary.
Thus far, Sanders and Clinton are the only two Democrats in the 2016 presidential race, while three Republicans — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio — have all announced their official candidacy.
