WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont progressive whose 2016 White House campaign garnered fervent grassroots support and pushed the Democratic Party sharply to the left, said yesterday he would again seek the party’s presidential nomination in 2020.
Sanders, 77, announced his candidacy in an email to supporters, vowing to build a vast movement to confront the special interests that he said dominate government and politics.
Sanders said he would push for many of the same issues that powered his 2016 run and resonated with younger voters, including universal healthcare, raising the hourly minimum wage to $15, and free public college tuition.
“Our campaign is about creating a government and economy that works for the many, not just the few,” Sanders said, asking for 1 million people to sign up to kick off his bid.
Sanders’ insurgent 2016 candidacy against front-runner Hillary Clinton ended up capturing 23 state nominating contests, but generated tension between the party’s establishment and liberal wings that split the Democrats in 2016 and still plagues the party.