Bio: Bernie Sanders is a senior American Politician who was first elected as the representative of Vermont in the US Senate in 2006. Before getting elected to the US Senate, Sanders served as the mayor of Burlington between 1981 and 1989. Following it, the politician served as a member of the US House of Representatives between 1991 and 2007. What’s remarkable about Sanders is that he is not affiliated with any political party.
Birth and Early Life: Bernie Sanders was born on September 8, 1941, in New York. The independent politician is currently affiliated with the Democratic Party. Sanders’s parents were of Jewish and Polish descent. He hailed from a financially weak family, and that’s why he picked pay inequality as one of his top political issues.
Bernie Sanders’ Education
Bernie Sanders attended Brooklyn College and earned a degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago in 1964.
As a student, Sanders was an active part of the civil rights movement and participated in the March of Washington in 1963.
Life After Education
After doing his graduation, Bernie Sanders lived on a kibbutz in Israel. After returning from Israel, he moved to Vermont and took part in the back-to-the-land movement. Apart from this, Sanders also worked as a freelance journalist. He also worked as a union carpenter. He was one of the most vocal voices in the anti-Vietnam war movement. This was the foundation for what was about to become a long and successful career.
Political Journey
Being an independent candidate, Bernie faced many difficulties, and his several attempts for governor of Vermont became unsuccessful. His two attempts two get elected to the US Senate (1972 and 1974) also went in vain. He finally tasted success when he got elected as the mayor of Burlington in 1981 after winning by a tiny margin. He was later elected to the US House of Representatives in 1990 after failing in 1988.
Bernie associated himself with Democrats in 1991. He found the Congressional Progressive Caucus in 1991.
Sanders was a big opponent of George Bush and voted against the Iraq War. He was also one of the key voices against tax cuts benefiting wealthy individuals. Sanders was awarded for his work by getting reelected seven times, that too by significant margins.
Sanders ran for the US Senate in 2006 and won comfortably. Throughout the early days of his political career, Sanders continued his campaign for reforms in tax. One of Sanders’s most explosive speeches came against the extension of Bush tax cuts in 2010 when he held the floor for nearly nine hours in a filibuster.
Apart from the tax-related issues, Sanders also voiced his opinions against the federal government’s shutdown in 2013. He also did significant work on climate change, veterans’ affairs, and renewable energy.
Bernie Sanders in the race for President
Bernie Sanders’ most ambitious political move came in 2015 when he declared that he would be running for the US President in 2016. However, he trailed behind Hillary Clinton, who lost to Donald Trump in 2016. He once again tried his luck in 2019 while promising to do better than the last time. Sanders enjoyed huge support and was a frontrunner to be declared as the presidential candidate against Donald Trump. However, a victory by Joe Biden in South Carolina in February 2020 changed the game once again. Biden managed to defeat Trump in the Presidential elections in November 2020.
Personal Life and Marriage: Bernie Sanders married Deborah Shilling Messing in 1964. He had met Deborah in 1963 in college, and the two had volunteered on the Israeli kibbutz Sha’ar HaAmakim for several months. However, the couple had no children, and they parted their ways in 1966. After that, he came into a relationship with his girlfriend, Susan Campbell Mott. Sanders’ only biological child, Levi Sanders, was born to Susan in 1969. He then married Jane O’Meara Driscoll on May 28, 1988. He is also very close to Jane’s three children Dave Driscoll (born 1975), Carina Driscoll (born 1974), and Heather Titus.
Sanders also has seven grandchildren. He is also very close to his elder brother Larry, who lives in England and was a Green Party County Councillor until 2013.
Awards: Bernie Sanders has won several awards and prizes for his significant work to better society during his political career. Sanders won Time’s 2015 Person of the Year readers’ poll with 10.2% of vote on December 4, 2015. He also received an honorary Coast Salish name, dxʷshudičup, by Deborah Parker in Seattle on March 20, 2016. Sanders earned an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Brooklyn College on May 30, 2017.
Bernie Sanders on India and Kashmir:
While Bernie Sanders dropping out of the Presidential race in 2020 got mixed reactions, diplomats and experts saw it as a positive move for India. Sanders has been a vocal critic of India’s policies in Kashmir. His statements were not seen in good taste for India’s integrity. While Donald Trump was in power, Sanders repeatedly criticized the Republican-led US government for supporting India and its policies towards Kashmir and Pakistan.
Bernie Sanders Net Worth:
According to Forbes, the net worth of Bernie Sanders stood at over $2.5 million. However, different financial agencies have different figures regarding the net wealth of independent politicians.
Sanders owns three houses: a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home in Burlington, whose estimated price is nearly $405,000, a raw house worth $489,000 in Washington DC a vacation home worth $575,000 north of Burlington. All three houses were bought by Sanders and his wife, Jane O’Meara.
Apart from this, most of Sanders’ wealth comes from book deals and sales.
