Sen. Bernie Sanders, former presidential candidate and leader of the progressive movement in the United States for decades, said his term starting in January would likely be his last in an interview with POLITICO.
Sanders (I-Vt.) won reelection in November and has six more years in the Senate ahead of him.
When asked whether his fourth Senate term would be his last, Sanders said: “I’m 83 now. I’ll be 89 when I get out of here. You can do the figuring. I don’t know, but I would assume, probably, yes.”
Sanders has been in Congress since 1991. He served eight House terms before winning election to the Senate in 2006, and though he has long touted his independence from party affiliation, he was a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020. He was runner-up both times.
Sanders helped move the Democratic caucus in the Senate to the left but comes to this time in his political career with concerns about the future of progressive ideals in American politics.
After Donald Trump’s victory in last month’s presidential election, Sanders called out Democrats for abandoning working-class people.
He reiterated that assessment today: “The average American is hurting,” he said. “You've got to recognize the reality of what's going on. And I'm not sure that enough Democrats are doing that.”
Sanders added that many Americans appreciate what the Biden administration has done to lower drug prices and improve infrastructure. But he continues to rail against currents in the party that he says are out of touch with the American working class.
Not even everyone in Congress’ Progressive Caucus fully understands the vision needed for the future of the party, according to Sanders.
“Some do and some don’t,” he said.
But Sanders said he takes heart that the Progressive Caucus, which Sanders first formed with five other members in 1991, has grown to more than 100.
“Dozens of them are really strong progressives who share my perspectives,” he said.
Sanders said President Joe Biden, who emerged from the party’s centrist wing to win in 2020, has shown how progressive ideas can be central to the Democratic Party, pointing to Biden’s work to lower drug and child care costs.
Sanders will lose his chair at the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in January but said he hopes to return to the post if Democrats can retake control of the Senate.
He said his legacy leading the committee includes expanding funding to the primary care system and holding leaders of pharmaceutical companies to account for charging higher prices in the U.S. compared to other countries.
“We are the only major country on earth that doesn't guarantee health care to all of its people. And we pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,” he said. “My vision is pretty clear as to where we have to go.”
