Speaking on Vermont Public Radio on Tuesday morning, Bernie Sanders made it official—he is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.
The announcement contained few details, but was not unexpected. Just last week, Sen. Sanders announced that he was forming an exploratory committee, and the number of people who have formed such a committee only to have that exploration end with a decision not to run can likely be counted on no hands. In this case, the committee apparently did its work very quickly.
At the same time he was appearing on radio, the Sanders campaign issued an email and video to supporters stating that he wants to “complete the revolution” that began with the 2016 campaign and “implement the vision” that he and his supporters fought for in the last cycle. His statement features a rundown of some of the ideas that propelled that 2016 campaign. “When we brought forth our progressive agenda we were told that our ideas were ‘radical’ and ‘extreme.’” But three years later that agenda, which included Medicare for all, a $15 minimum wage, and free college education, is “now supported by a majority of Americans.”
Our campaign is about taking on the powerful special interests that dominate our economic and political life. I’m talking about Wall Street, the health insurance companies, drug companies, the fossil fuel industry, the military industrial complex, the private prison industry, and the large multi-national corporations that exert such an enormous influence over our lives.
The New York Times notes that Sanders is facing a very different set of challengers in this election, with a number of candidates who are very progressive.