Bernie Sanders Announces Re-Election Bid For Third Senate Term

Sen. Bernie Sanders announced on Monday he will pursue re-election for a third term in Vermont this year, and that he will officially launch his campaign in June.

Bernie Sanders Announces 2018 Re-Election Campaign

Though 76-year-old Sanders is an Independent, he will run as a Democratic candidate, just as he did for his 2016 presidential bid. Sanders has continued to push his progressive agenda and has repeatedly spoken out about major issues facing the country, including President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies.

“The 2018 midterm elections will be a pivotal moment in our country’s history, and we must fight for an agenda that works for working people,” Sanders said in a statement

Among Sanders’ most prominent issues he has voiced dedication to tackling is income inequality, — including holding big banks and other major corporations accountable for any fraudulent activities — reforming the tax code, raising the national minimum wage to $15 an hour, and making public colleges and universities free or more affordable.

The senator has also proposed a “Medicare for all single-payer program,” a healthcare system that is prominent in several developed countries like Canada. Sanders has also pushed for stricter gun control in the wake of several mass shootings. He and Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren are known as two of the most progressive members of the Senate.

Sanders won both his Senate elections in 2006 and 2012 by large margins.

Senate Democrats named Sanders to a top role within the party after it lost the majority in the 2016 election.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Sanders plans to speak in support of Disneyland workers at a June 2 rally in Anaheim, California. Reports recently surfaced stating that the theme park’s employees — as well as workers at other resorts in the area — are paid very low wages.

A group of unionized Disneyland employees filed around 20,000 signatures in April with Anaheim’s City Clerk in hopes of qualifying a measure for the November municipal ballot “that would require large employers accepting city subsidies to pay at least $15 an hour.”

Many people have speculated as to whether Sanders will make another presidential bid in 2020, although he has not explicitly confirmed he is looking to run.