Senator Bernie Sanders
About Senator Bernie Sanders
Born on September 8, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York, Bernard “Bernie” Sanders was elected to the position of junior United States Senator for the state of Vermont in 2006. Sanders served as chair of the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee for two years (2013-2015) before becoming the ranking minority member on the Senate Budget Committee in 2015.
Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Sanders won the election for mayor of Burlington, Vermont in 1981, running as an independent. After three successful re-election campaigns, Sanders was elected to represent Vermont’s at-large congressional district in 1990 in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for 16 years.
Sanders' rise to the attention of a national audience arguably began in 2010, during his filibuster of the proposed extension of George W. Bush-era tax-cuts.
Sanders announced his campaign for president on May 26, 2015 at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont.
