Bernie Sanders biography
Bernie Sanders is an incumbent junior United States Senator form Vermont. Sanders holds the distinction of being the longest-serving independent in the history of the US Congress. Sanders is also known for his 2010 filibuster against the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010 where he spoke for almost nine hours. Sanders announced his candidacy for the 2016 US presidential election from the Democratic Party and gave a tough challenge to rival Hillary Clinton.
Early life and education
Bernie Sanders was born on September 8, 1941, in Brooklyn to a Jewish family of Polish descent. He attended Brooklyn College from 1959 to 1960. He then attended University of Chicago from where he graduated in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. While he was still a student, Bernie Sanders became involved in the civil rights movements. In the year 1963, he participated in a March on Washington.
Career
During the early years, Bernie Sanders worked in a variety of jobs. These included Head Start teacher, psychiatric aide, carpenter, filmmaker and writer. Sanders also wrote articles for The Vermont Freeman.
Sanders started his political career in 1971 as a member of the Liberty Union Party. He ran for Governor of Vermont as the Liberty Union candidate in 1972 and 1976 and as an independent in 1986 but was unsuccessful. In the 1986, Sanders had challenged the incumbent Governor Madeleine Kunin and finished at the third spot. He could get only 14.4 percent of the votes. In 1972 and 1974, Bernie Sanders ran for the US Senate but was again unsuccessful.
Mayor of Burlington
In 1981, Bernie Sanders ran for the mayorship of Burlington and was able to win by a handful of votes. Sanders was elected three times as the mayor of Burlington – 1983, 85 and 87 – and in each election defeated both the Republican and Democratic candidates. In the 1987 election, Bernie Sanders defeated Paul Lafayette. During his years as the mayor of Burlington, Bernie Sanders called himself a socialist. One of Bernie Sanders major contributions to Burlington as the mayor of the city was the improvement of Burlington’s Lake Champlain waterfront. From 1986 to 88, Sanders also produced and hosted a program Bernie Speaks with the Community. Sanders tenure was the mayor was much appreciated with the US News & World Report ranking him as one of America’s best mayors in 1987.
House of Representatives
In 1988, Bernie Sanders made a bid for the US House of Representatives and lost but was elected to the body two years later. He took office in 1991. During his terms at the US House of Representatives, Bernie Sanders was a strong opponent of the Republican Party and the administration of President George W Bush. Bernie Sanders voted against the Iraq War. He strongly opposed tax cuts which benefited corporations and rich individuals. He also opposed cuts in spending for social welfare programs. Bernie Sanders was reelected seven times to the Senate.
US Senate
In 2006 Sanders was elected to the US Senate from Vermont. During his tenure at the Senate, Sanders continued for his campaign for tax reform. A remarkable achievement of Sanders was when in 2010 he spoke for nine hours in a filibuster against the extension of the Bush tax cuts. Other than social-welfare and tax matters, Sanders also sponsored amendments and bills concerning renewable energy, climate change and veterans’ affairs.
2016 US presidential elections
Bernie Sanders officially launched his campaign for the US presidency on May 26, 2015. Sanders relied heavily on the social media to help his campaign gain momentum. Though, Sanders provided stiff competition to rival Hillary Clinton, but in the following months trailed far behind Clinton in terms of delegates. During his campaign Sanders supported tax increases on the rich, universal healthcare and free tuition at public universities and colleges.