2020 US primaries: he's the oldest candidate for Democratic presidential nomination - yet he's celebrated like a pop star. This is Bernie Sanders.
His followers are among the most passionate of past US presidential campaigns: Bernie Sanders is also very popular with many young people - even though he's already 78 years old. The independent “democratic socialist,” as he calls himself, was about to become the Democratic presidential candidate in the last election campaign. Ultimately, he had to surrender to Hillary Clinton, who challenged Donald Trump - and failed.
Bernie Sanders in the US primaries: will he be the Democratic candidate in 2020?
In the upcoming presidential election campaign in 2020, Sanders wants to know it again and is fighting for the support of the Democrats. His positions are little revolutionary by German standards: free higher education, maternity leave, statutory health insurance. For the USA, however, these demands are so radical that Sanders is seen as far left there. Sanders is an outspoken opponent of President Trump, whom he called, among others, "liar", "sexist" and "xenophobia". Trump, on the other hand, is also not a big fan of Sanders. He called him "crazy Bernie", the "crazy Bernie".
In addition to Bernie Sanders, the most promising candidates for the US primaries are Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Andrew Yang and Joe Biden.
School, college, political beginnings: Bernie Sanders' youth
Bernie Sanders was born Bernard Sanders on September 8, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Polish immigrants. Sanders' father was a seller of paints and varnishes. Bernie Sanders graduated from James Madison High School and attended Brooklyn College and the University of Chicago. There he received his degree in political science in 1964. Sanders is a Jew, but said in an interview with the Washington Post that he was "not actively involved in organized religion."
Check out this post on Instagram
The political revolution is alive and well in Maine. Thank you to all who came to our incredible rally in Portland! We're going to beat Trump and beat him badly.
A post shared by Bernie Sanders (@berniesanders) on Sep 3, 2019 at 6:43 p.m. PDT
Bernie Sanders: His political career and demands
In the early 1970s, he joined the Liberty Union (LU), which describes itself on its website as a “violence-opposing, socialist party”. He also ran for the party in several elections. As CNN reports, Sanders and the LU in the 1970s called for the nationalization of the energy industry, public banking, or 100 percent income tax for the highest-income Americans.
Bernie Sanders is in the US Senate for the third time. Sanders has been in the House of Representatives for a total of 16 years, making him the longest serving independent convention member in US history, according to his website. In 1981, he was elected Mayor of Burlington, Vermont - it was the first of four terms. Sanders also taught at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and Hamilton College in New York. In 1990 he was finally elected to the House of Representatives for the State of Vermont, in 2007 to the US Senate.
Although Sanders failed to run the presidential campaign as a Democratic candidate in 2016, he wants to know again and announced his renewed candidacy for the 2020 Primaries.
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We are the strongest campaign to beat Trump. Day by day we're building our movement to create a nation based on justice, not greed and hatred. Thank you to all who came out to our town halls in New Hampshire this past weekend. #NotMeUs
A post shared by Bernie Sanders (@berniesanders) on Sep 3, 2019 at 2:09 p.m. PDT
Sanders emphasizes again and again that he wants to be there for all Americans and especially takes a stand against the super rich, demands higher taxes and a minimum wage of $ 15.
Criticism of Bernie Sanders: too left, too old?
Although he always advocates better environmental protection, Sanders and his team were accused of only traveling with private jets during the campaign, as Watson.ch reports. In addition, his demands in America are often seen as very left-wing, the title "socialist" is not well received by all voters.
His age is also repeatedly the subject of criticism. If he were actually elected President in 2020, he would be 82 years old when he took office - in 2021. After the first term, Bernie Sanders would even be 86 years old - a handsome age for such a stressful and demanding job.
Candidate in the US primaries: Bernie Sanders' private life
In the 1960s, Sanders lived in an Israeli kibbutz. Kibbuze are a kind of cooperative municipalities that are organized on a grassroots basis. Sanders is married to Jane O'Meara Sanders, the president of Burlington College. As reported by ABC, Sander has four children and seven grandchildren. His son Levi Sanders also tried himself as a politician and ran in the 2018 congressional elections - but unsuccessfully.
Find out everything about the candidates, dates and the voting procedure for the "Primaries" 2020. We also keep you up to date with the 2020 US primaries in our news ticker.
Bernie Sanders recently got his fans through a heart operation. But now he wants to go back to the election campaign and start again, while his wife has other wishes.
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