Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign

Bernie Sanders for President
Campaign	U.S. presidential election, 2016
Candidate	Bernie Sanders U.S. Senator (2007–present) U.S. Representative (1991–2007) Mayor of Burlington (1981–1989)
Affiliation	Democratic Party (serves as Independent in Senate)
Status	Announced: April 30, 2015 Formal launch: May 26, 2015
Headquarters	131 Church Street Suite 300 Burlington, Vermont
Key people	Jeff Weaver, campaign manager Symone D. Sanders, press secretary
Receipts	US$15,247,353 (2015-06-30)
Slogan	A Political Revolution Is Coming Not For Sale
Chant
Website
www.berniesanders.com

The 2016 presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders, the junior United States Senator and former Congressman from Vermont, began with a formal announcement by Sanders on May 26, 2015, in Burlington, Vermont, which followed an informal announcement on April 30. Sanders had been considered a potential candidate for President of the United States since at least November 2013. In the Senate, Sanders is an independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, many of his views align with those of Democrats, and he has confirmed that he is running as a Democrat.

Sanders states that his campaign will focus on the income and wealth inequality that he says has eroded the American middle class, and campaign finance reform. Unlike the other presidential candidates, Sanders does not pursue funding through a Super PAC, instead receiving most of his campaign funds from small individual donations.

Background

See also: Bernie Sanders

In a November 2013 interview Sanders laid out several reasons for mounting a presidential run. He spoke about global warming, economic inequality, frustration with the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court decision and the importance of maintaining public programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

In a March 6, 2014, interview with The Nation, Sanders stated that he was "prepared to run for President of the United States" in 2016 but did not officially announce a campaign. When pressed on the issue, Sanders said he was discussing a campaign for president with people around the country, but felt that it was still premature to make an announcement. Following the 2014 congressional elections, Sanders continued to discuss the possibility of running for president.

On April 28, 2015, Vermont Public Radio reported that Sanders would announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 30. In an interview with USA Today on April 29, Sanders stated that he was "running in this election to win," and a campaign website launched, effectively beginning his run. Sanders said he was motivated to enter the race by what he termed "obscene levels" of income disparity, and the campaign finance system. On May 26, Sanders officially announced his candidacy at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont.

Sanders' political successes have been in Vermont, one of the most rural U.S. states. Sanders has been involved in political activism nearly his entire adult life. While in college he protested against police brutality, led a weeks-long sit-in against housing segregation, and worked as an organizer for the Congress of Racial Equality. In 1963 he traveled to Washington to attend the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Sanders has supported full equality for gay Americans since at least 1972. As Mayor of Burlington, Bernie Sanders played a prominent role in building support in Vermont for Jesse Jackson's campaign for the presidency in 1984 and 1988.

Campaign

Sanders campaigning in Phoenix, Arizona

In a preview of his campaign, Sanders told the Associated Press on April 29 that he would release "very specific proposals" to increase taxes on the wealthy and corporations, offer tuition-free higher education at public universities, and pass a single-payer Medicare-for-All healthcare system. He also noted his support for substantial regulations of Wall Street and opposition to the NAFTA and CAFTA trade agreements and the Keystone XL pipeline. A cornerstone of his campaign will focus on reversing the "obscene levels" of income and wealth inequality that have eroded the middle class over the last 40 years.

Sanders states that his campaign will focus on what he considers to be "real family values". Saying, "The right has claimed the mantle of 'family values' for far too long. When my Republican colleagues use the term they’re usually talking about things like opposition to contraception, denying a woman’s right to choose, opposition to gay rights, and support for abstinence-only education," Sanders advocates what he calls "real family values" which include paid sick time, paid vacations, and access to paid family leave. Speaking on woman's pro-choice issues, he commented that "[Republicans believe] that [a woman] cannot control her own body. I disagree. Let's say it loud and clear: Women control their own bodies – not the government."

Noting that he has "never run a negative political ad in (his) life," Sanders states that he will run a positive campaign with "serious debates on serious issues."

Sanders has said that if he is elected president, a cabinet under his administration "would not be dominated by representatives of Wall Street". He has cited Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz, and Robert Reich as potential cabinet members.

Fundraising

Unlike the other major presidential candidates, Sanders will not pursue funding through a Super PAC, instead focusing on small individual donations. Saying, "We now have a political situation where billionaires are literally able to buy elections and candidates," Sanders has called for an overturn of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission: “To equate the ability of billionaires to buy elections with ‘freedom of speech’ is totally absurd. The Supreme Court is paving the way toward an oligarchic form of society in which a handful of billionaires like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson will control our political process.”

Sanders raised over $1.5 million in the first 24 hours after he announced his presidential campaign on April 30, 2015. This was greater than the amount raised by any of the Republican candidates in the first 24 hours after their respective announcements. By May 5, Sanders campaign had received approximately 75,000 contributions and had raised $3 million, with the average donation being $43. According to a campaign adviser, 99.4 percent of the donations were $250 or less, and 185,000 supporters had signed up on the campaign's website.

Required reports to the Federal Election Commission in July 2015 showed a total of $15.2 million in donations to the Sanders campaign with an average donation of $31.30. He reported total spending of $3 million; Clinton reported $18.7 million. At the end of June Sanders had $12.1 million in cash; Clinton had $28.9 million.

Reception

Sanders at a town meeting in Phoenix, Arizona

Early in his campaign, media compared the size of Sanders’ rallies with those of Hillary Clinton. Sanders's campaign events have been drawing "overflow crowds" around the country. Sanders drew more than 700 supporters at a mid-June event in Iowa, which the Wall Street Journal noted as “the same number who went to a Hillary Clinton event on Sunday that featured a buffet table and a live band.” A crowd of an estimated 3,000 attended an event in Minneapolis. Sanders said he was "Stunned. Stunned. I mean I had to fight my way to get into the room. Standing room only. Minneapolis was literally beyond belief."

Beginning in June, crowds at Sanders events became much larger than those of any other presidential candidate. At a June 20 appearance in Denver, Sanders drew an estimated 5,000 supporters at a routine campaign stop, equaling the size of the crowd at Hillary Clinton's campaign launch speech in New York City the previous weekend.

Black Lives Matter activists prevent Sanders from taking the podium in Seattle.

On July 1, a crowd of at least 10,000 showed to see Sanders in Madison, Wisconsin, nearly twice the size of the biggest crowd of his main primary challenger, Hillary Clinton. A Sanders campaign event in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on July 3, drew over 2,500 supporters. To date, this was the largest audience for any 2016 presidential candidate in Iowa, an important early primary state. In Portland, Maine, a city of only 66,000, what had been scheduled as a town hall forum drew an estimated crowd of 8,000 to 9,000 people on July 6. Sanders drew a crowd of over 11,000 on July 18 in Phoenix, Arizona, a typically conservative state. At that time this had been the largest crowd of any 2016 candidate, on either side.

Flyer for the Portland, Oregon rally

Sanders drew a crowd of over 12,000 in Seattle, Washington on August 8. The rally took place in the basketball arena of the University of Washington, which was filled to capacity. Before the rally, Sanders spoke to an additional 3,000 supporters outside who could not get into the arena. Black Lives Matter activists had interrupted an earlier event and prevented Sanders from taking the podium. The rally in Seattle was part of a three-day West Coast tour. On the following day, August 9, Sanders spoke to a record crowd of 20,000 supporters inside the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The event was again filled to capacity, with 8,000 supporters waiting in the overflow area provided by venue officials. The West Coast tour ended on August 10, with a large rally in Los Angeles, California. The event was filled to capacity, with the Sanders campaign claiming over 27,000 people turned out, breaking the record he set the day before. The rally included an introduction by comedian Sarah Silverman.

As of August 15, 2015, Sanders had partially consolidated Democratic opposition to Clinton's nomination but had not significantly affected the level of support for her.

However, Sanders has seen greater success in New Hampshire, an early primary state often seen as a major test for both Democratic and Republican candidates. Two August 2015 polls showed Sanders leading Hillary Clinton by seven points. Both the RealClearPolitics polling average and Huffington Post Pollster average for the New Hampshire Democratic primary showed Sanders leading Clinton by about 3.5 percent on August 28, 2015.

Social media

Sanders has used social media to help his campaign gain momentum. Along with posting content on Twitter and Facebook, he held an "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit on May 19, 2015, where his answers garnered thousands of upvotes. Sanders has gained a large online grassroots following independently produced numerous online resources including VoteForBernie.org, which provides instructions for participating in the Democratic primary, the subreddit r/SandersForPresident, which acts as an online forum for sharing news and ideas concerning the campaign, and Bernie2016Events.org, which contains an interactive map of all future official and non-official Bernie campaign events. On August 12, 2015, a third-party website, FeelTheBern.org, was released. Created through the effort of over 125 volunteers over the course of 32 days, this website serves as a large information hub detailing many elements including: Sanders' political positions on a variety of issues, his voting history, his previous legislation, his goals as future president, and his biography.

Political positions

Main article: Political positions of Bernie Sanders

Economics

Income and wealth inequality

A cornerstone of Sanders's campaign is to fight the decreasing income of the middle class and the increase of wealth inequality:

What we have seen is that while the average person is working longer hours for lower wages, we have seen a huge increase in income and wealth inequality, which is now reaching obscene levels. This is a rigged economy, which works for the rich and the powerful, and is not working for ordinary Americans … You know, this country just does not belong to a handful of billionaires.

— The Guardian (April 2015)

In July 2015 Sanders introduced legislation that would incrementally increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by the year 2020.

Taxes

Sanders supports repeal of some of the tax deductions that benefit hedge funds and corporations, and would raise taxes on capital gains and the wealthiest two percent of Americans. He would use some of the added revenues to lower the taxes of the middle and lower classes.

Wall Street reform

On May 6, 2015, Sanders introduced legislation to break up "too big to fail" financial institutions. With three of the four banks that were bailed out during the 2007–08 Global Financial Crisis now larger than they were then, Sanders believes that "no single financial institution should have holdings so extensive that its failure would send the world economy into crisis. If an institution is too big to fail, it is too big to exist."

Jobs

Sanders has introduced amendments to Senate bills that promote the creation of millions of middle-class jobs by investing in infrastructure, paid for by closing loopholes in the corporate and international tax system. He also supports legislation that would make it easier for workers to join or form a union. Sanders' campaign website has also recognized the plight of the long-term unemployed, citing that "the real unemployment rate is much higher than the 'official' figure typically reported in the newspapers."

Environment

Sanders considers global warming a serious problem. Along with Senator Barbara Boxer, Sanders introduced the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007 on January 15, 2007. In a July 26, 2012 speech on the Senate floor, Sanders addressed claims made by Senator Jim Inhofe: "The bottom line is when Senator Inhofe says global warming is a hoax, he is just dead wrong, according to the vast majority of climate scientists." He was Climate Hawks Vote's top-rated senator on climate leadership in the 113th Congress.

Health care

Sanders is a staunch supporter of a universal health care system, and has said, "If you are serious about real healthcare reform, the only way to go is single-payer." He advocates lowering the cost of drugs that are high because they remain under patent for years; some drugs that cost thousands of dollars per year in the U.S. are available for hundreds, or less, in countries where they can be obtained as generics.

As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, Sanders has introduced legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the Older Americans Act, which supports Meals on Wheels and other programs for seniors. Sanders believes that supporting seniors "is not only the right thing to do, it is the financially smart thing to do", because it decreases expensive hospitalizations and allows seniors to remain in their homes.

NARAL Pro-Choice America has given Sanders a 100% score on his pro-choice voting record.

Campaign finance

Sanders supports the DISCLOSE Act, which would make campaign finances more transparent and ban U.S. corporations controlled by foreign interests from making political expenditures. He has been outspoken in calling for an overturn of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in which the Supreme Court overturned McCain-Feingold restrictions on political spending by corporations and unions as a violation of the First Amendment. Saying that he believes that the Citizens United decision is "one of the Supreme Court's worst decisions ever" and that it has allowed big money to "deflect attention from the real issues" facing voters, he has proposed a constitutional amendment to undo the ruling. He warns: "We now have a political situation where billionaires are literally able to buy elections and candidates."

Foreign policy and national security

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Sanders supports a two-state solution, saying that "the Palestinian people, in my view, deserve a state of their own, they deserve an economy of their own, they deserve economic support from the people of this country. And Israel needs to be able to live in security without terrorist attacks."

In July 2014, Sanders formed part of the "unanimous consent" on the Senate Resolution in support of Operation Protective Edge, a military operation Israel launched on July 8, 2014. Sanders did not sign on as a co-sponsor. Over 2,220 Palestinians were killed, of whom 1,492 were civilians, including 578 children.

At a 2014 Vermont town hall meeting, in response to questioning by a constituent who asked "Are you going to go further… [and end] $30 billion going to Israel over the next ten years?" (a reference to US foreign aid to Israel), Sanders stated that "Hamas is sending missiles into Israel… and you know where some of those missiles are coming from? They’re coming from populated areas…" and characterized Israel's response as an "overreaction" to Palestinian missile attacks.

A statement published on his Senate website read in part: "Sanders believes the Israeli attacks that killed hundreds of innocent people – including many women and children – in bombings of civilian neighborhoods and UN controlled schools, hospitals, and refugee camps were disproportionate, and the widespread killing of civilians is completely unacceptable. Israel's actions took an enormous human toll, and appeared to strengthen support for Hamas and may well be sowing the seeds for even more hatred, war and destruction in future years."

Sanders described himself as "not a great fan" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and was the first senator to boycott a speech made by Netanyahu to Congress in opposition to nuclear negotiations with Iran made in close proximity to a legislative election in Israel.

Surveillance

Sanders has long been critical of U.S. government surveillance policies. He voted against the USA PATRIOT Act and all of its renewals and has characterized the National Security Agency as "out of control." He has frequently criticized warrantless wiretapping and the collection of the phone, email, library, and internet browsing records of American citizens without due process:

In my view, the NSA is out of control and operating in an unconstitutional manner. I worry very much about kids growing up in a society where they think 'I'm not going to talk about this issue, read this book, or explore this idea because someone may think I'm a terrorist.' That is not the kind of free society I want for our children.

Iraq

Sanders strongly opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq and voted against the 2002 resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. In a 2002 speech, he said, "I am opposed to giving the President a blank check to launch a unilateral invasion and occupation of Iraq" and "I will vote against this resolution. One, I have not heard any estimates of how many young American men and women might die in such a war or how many tens of thousands of women and children in Iraq might also be killed. As a caring Nation, we should do everything we can to prevent the horrible suffering that a war will cause. War must be the last recourse in international relations, not the first. Second, I am deeply concerned about the precedent that a unilateral invasion of Iraq could establish in terms of international law and the role of the United Nations."

Sanders has called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) "a barbaric organization" and "a growing threat," but does not believe that the U.S. should lead the fight against it. Sanders believes that "the United States should be supportive, along with other countries, but we cannot and we should not be involved in perpetual warfare in the Middle East--the Muslim Countries themselves must lead the effort."

Education

Early childhood

Drawing figures from a recent report that ranks the U.S. 33rd out of 36 nations in reading literacy, 27th in mathematical literacy, 22nd in science literacy, and 18th overall in secondary education, Sanders has said, "In a society with our resources, it is unconscionable to that we do not properly invest in our children from the very first stages of their lives". He has introduced legislation to provide child care and early education to all children six weeks old through kindergarten. Sanders said "the Foundations for Success Act would provide preschool children with a full range of services, leading to success in school and critical support for hard-pressed families nationwide."

Student loans

See also: Student debt

Sanders has long been an advocate of making college more affordable. He has spoken out against the high interest rates on federal student loans, noting that in the next ten years, the federal government will profit by as much as $127 billion from them. He has also criticized President Obama for signing legislation that temporarily froze student loan interest rates in exchange for allowing the rates to reach historic highs over the next two years. Sanders believes tax reform is the solution, and has developed a plan to bring matching grants from the federal and state governments to cut tuition at public universities by more than half. He has criticized both Republicans and Democrats for failing to institute reforms that will stop predatory lending practices in the student loan market.

Tuition-free public universities

Sanders is in favor of public funding for college students. He believes "we live in a highly competitive global economy and, if our economy is to be strong, we need the best-educated work force in the world." He further maintains that many other developed nations in Western Europe have long taken this approach to higher education. Sanders expects his plan to meet strong opposition from the Republican Party, but says it is ultimately "the American people" who will determine its failure or success.

On May 19, 2015, Sanders introduced the College for All Act (S.1373), which would use a Robin Hood tax of 50 cents on every "$100 of stock trades on stock sales" to fund tuition at four-year public colleges and universities for students who meet admission standards. In addition, the Robin Hood tax would include a .5% speculation fee to be charged on investment houses, hedge funds, and other stock trades, while a .1% fee would be charged on bonds, and a .005% fee on derivatives.

Social issues

Racial justice

Sanders was a civil rights organizer at the University of Chicago in the 1960s, and has a 100% rating from the NAACP for his civil rights voting record. In 1988, Sanders worked for Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign saying: "Jesse Jackson uniquely and alone has shown the courage to tackle the most important and basic issues facing working class Americans, poor people, elderly people, environmentalists, peace activists, women, and America's minorities."

As part of his 2016 presidential platform, Sanders calls for an end to “the four central types of violence waged against black and brown Americans: physical, political, legal and economic.” Speaking on these issues, Sanders says:

It is an obscenity that we stigmatize so many young Americans with a criminal record for smoking marijuana, but not one major Wall Street executive has been prosecuted for causing the near collapse of our entire economy. This must change. We must address the lingering unjust stereotypes that lead to the labeling of black youths as "thugs." We know the truth that, like every community in this country, the vast majority of people of color are trying to work hard, play by the rules and raise their children. It’s time to stop demonizing minority communities.

Paid leave

Sanders has become a prominent supporter of laws requiring companies to provide their workers parental leave, sick leave, and vacation time, arguing that such laws have been adopted by almost every developed country, and that there are significant disparities among the types of workers who have access to paid sick and paid vacation time.

Sanders's Guaranteed Paid Vacation Act (S.1564) would mandate that companies provide 10 days of paid vacation for employees who have worked for them for at least one year. He is cosponsoring a Senate bill that would give mothers and fathers 12 weeks of paid family leave to care for a baby. Sanders has also cosponsored a bill that would guarantee workers at least seven paid sick days per year for short-term illness, routine medical care, or to care for a sick family member.

Gun violence

Sanders supports banning semi-automatic weapons and closing a loophole that allows buyers to skirt regulations when making a purchase at a gun show. He is also in favor of instant background checks for gun owners.

In the House of Representatives, Sanders voted for the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union", Sanders said, "If somebody has a gun and it falls into the hands of a murderer and the murderer kills somebody with a gun, do you hold the gun manufacturer responsible? Not any more than you would hold a hammer company responsible if somebody beats somebody over the head with a hammer." Sanders has said, "we have millions of people who are gun owners in this country -- 99.9% of those people obey the law. I want to see real, serious debate and action on guns, but it is not going to take place if we simply have extreme positions on both sides. I think I can bring us to the middle."

Criminal justice reform

Sanders has called for reforms to sentencing guidelines, drug policy, and use of force policies within police departments. Noting that there are more people incarcerated in the U.S. than any country in the world at an annual cost to taxpayers of $70 billion, Sanders argues that the money would be better spent on education and jobs. He has spoken out against police brutality and the uneven rates of arrest of African-Americans and other minorities, saying: "From Ferguson to Baltimore and across this nation, too many African-Americans and other minorities find themselves subjected to a system that treats citizens who have not committed crimes as if they were criminals and that is unacceptable." Following the release of footage depicting the arrest of African American Sandra Bland for a minor traffic violation, Sanders strongly condemned the “totally outrageous police behavior” shown in the video, stating that: “This video highlights once again why we need real police reform. People should not die for a minor traffic infraction. This type of police abuse has become an all-too-common occurrence for people of color and it must stop."

Sanders has also spoken out against the privatization of prisons throughout the United States, stating:

It is morally repugnant and a national tragedy that we have privatized prisons all over America. In my view, corporations should not be allowed to make a profit by building more jails and keeping more Americans behind bars. We have got to end the private-for-profit prison racket in America!

— Remarks by Senator Sanders to the National Urban League (July 2015).

Sanders will be introducing legislation to abolish private prisons when congress reconvenes in September 2015.

Death penalty

Sanders has been a strong opponent of the death penalty throughout his political career.

Immigration

Sanders voted for the comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013, saying, "It does not make a lot of sense to me to bring hundreds of thousands of [foreign] workers into this country to work for minimum wage and compete with American kids." Sanders opposes guest worker programs and is also skeptical about skilled immigrant (H-1B) visas, saying, "Last year, the top 10 employers of H-1B guest workers were all offshore outsourcing companies. These firms are responsible for shipping large numbers of American information technology jobs to India and other countries." He believes a path to citizenship should be created for new immigrants.

Endorsements

See also: Endorsements for the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016

List of Bernie Sanders endorsements

All individuals are members or supporters of the Democratic Party, unless otherwise stated

Current and former state governors

• Jesse Ventura, former Independent Governor of Minnesota (1999–2003), professional wrestler, actor, political commentator, author, and naval veteran

Statewide officials

• Doug Hoffer, Vermont Auditor of Accounts

State and local legislators

• Tim Ashe, Vermont State Senator
• Daryl Beall, former Iowa State Senator
• Mollie Burke, Vermont State Representative
• Karen Clark, Minnesota State Representative
• Burt Cohen, former New Hampshire State Senator
• Robin Chestnut-Tangerman, Vermont State Representative
• Amanda Curtis, Montana State Representative
• Susan Davis, Vermont State Representative
• Wendy Davis, former Texas State Representative
• Caroline French, Democratic activist from New Hampshire, former New Hampshire Executive Council member
• Diana Gonzalez, Vermont State Representative
• Ana Sol Gutierrez, Maryland State Delegate
• Sandy Haas, Vermont State Representative
• Emily Hague, at-large Keene, New Hampshire City Councillor
• Tom Hayden, activist, author and former California State Senator
• Troy Jackson, Maine State Senator, former Maine Senate majority leader, Democratic National Committee member
• Juan Mendez, Arizona State Representative
• Christopher Pearson, Vermont State Representative
• Anthony Pollina, Vermont State Senator
• Amy Sheldon, Vermont State Representative
• David Zuckerman, Vermont State Senator
• Alex Law, 2016 Congressional Candidate for New Jersey's 1st District

Mayors and other municipal leaders

• Daryl Justin Finizio, mayor of New London, Connecticut
• Rod Sullivan, Johnson County, Iowa supervisor

International political figures

• Colin Fox, former MSP and co-spokesperson of the Scottish Socialist Party
• Jonas Sjöstedt, member of the Swedish Parliament and leader of the Left Party

Celebrities

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA player, cultural ambassador, and author
• Azealia Banks, rapper, singer, and songwriter
• Lewis Black, comedian, author, playwright, social critic, and actor
• Dan Campbell, lead singer of The Wonder Years
• Belinda Carlisle, lead singer of The Go-Go's
• Julian Casablancas, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, lead singer of The Strokes
• David Crosby, singer-songwriter and musician
• Danny DeVito, actor, producer, and director.
• Stanley Dural, Jr., better known as Buckwheat Zydeco, musician
• Steve Earle, singer-songwirter, actor
• Mia Farrow, actress, activist, and former fashion model
• Deidre Hall, actress and activist
• Flea, bass player of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers.
• Mimi Kennedy, actress, author, activist
• Justin Long, actor
• Brandon McCartney, better known as Lil B, rapper, record producer, author and motivational speaker.
• Anaïs Mitchell, singer-songwriter and musician
• Nicole Nelson, singer from The Voice
• Tyler Oakley, YouTube, television, and podcast personality, humorist, author and advocate
• Patton Oswalt, comedian, writer, and actor
• Amanda Palmer, singer-songwriter
• Michael Render, better known as Killer Mike, hip-hop recording artist, activist, and half of Run the Jewels
• Joe Rogan, stand-up comedian, actor, martial artist, sports commentator, and podcaster
• Henry Rollins, musician, writer, journalist, publisher, actor, television and radio host, spoken word artist, comedian, and activist
• Mark Ruffalo, actor, director, producer and screenwriter
• Gabe Saporta, singer, bassist, songwriter for bands Cobra Starship and Midtown
• Susan Sarandon, actress and activist
• Sarah Silverman, stand-up comedian, writer, producer and actress
• Cole Sprouse, actor
• Tennessee Thomas, musician, model and actress
• Wil Wheaton, actor, writer and blogger.
• Lucinda Williams, singer-songwriter
• Stephen Williams, YouTube gaming personality (mainly known as Boogie2988)
• Neil Young, singer-songwriter and musician

Businessespeople

• David Alameel, Israeli-American businessman and Democratic nominee for US Senate election in Texas, 2014
• Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben & Jerry's
• Joe Lemnah, brewmaster of Burlington Beer Company.
• Steve Wozniak, inventor, engineer and Co-Founder of Apple Inc.

Individuals

• Larry Cohen, former president of the Communications Workers of America and founder of American Rights at Work
• Jimmy Dore, Comedian and author
• Dudley Dudley, New Hampshire political activist
• Jodie Evans, co-founder of CODEPINK
• Glenn Greenwald, American lawyer, journalist, author, and co-editor of The Intercept
• Daniel Kellison, television and film producer
• Bill McKibben, environmentalist, author, journalist, founder of climate change group 350.org
• David McReynolds, former Socialist Party USA presidential nominee (1980, 2000), pacifist activist, former chair of the War Resisters League (1986–88)
• John Nichols, progressive journalist and author
• Annabel Park, documentary filmmaker, political activist and community volunteer
• Matt Reid, American sociologist
• Stanley Sheinbaum, American peace and human rights activist
• Richard Stallman, software freedom activist and computer programmer, founder of the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation
• Bhaskar Sunkara, founder of Jacobin magazine
• Matt Taibbi, author and journalist
• Cornel West, philosopher, academic, activist, author, and public intellectual.
• Dr. Franz Whitfield, Iowan Pastor, Social Justice & Civil Rights Activist
• Marianne Williamson, spiritual teacher, author, lecturer, founder of Project Angel Food

Newspapers and other media

• Addison County Independent
• Ring of Fire, American talk radio program hosted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mike Papantonio and Sam Seder.

Internet, radio, and television personalities

• Deez Nuts, Independent presidential candidate
• Dan Carlin, political commentator, amateur historian, and podcaster
• John Fugelsang, comedian, political commentator, host of Tell Me Everything on SiriusXM Insight
• Thom Hartmann, radio host, author, former psychotherapist, entrepreneur, and progressive political commentator
• Jim Hightower, columnist, political activist, and former commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture
• Mike Malloy, liberal radio broadcaster
• Bill Moyers, journalist, political commentator, and former White House Press Secretary
• David Pakman, host of The David Pakman Show syndicated on radio, television, and online
• Mike Papantonio, attorney and radio talk show host (Ring of Fire)
• Bill Press, talk radio host, liberal political commentator and author, former chairman of the California Democratic Party
• Ed Schultz, political commentator, author, and television and radio host

Labor unions

• National Nurses United, the largest union and professional association of registered nurses.
• United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, an independent democratic rank-and-file labor union representing workers in both the private and public sectors across the United States
• Vermont and South Carolina divisions of the AFL-CIO

Organizations

• Democratic Socialists of America, democratic socialist organization and a member of Socialist International
• Friends of the Earth
• Occupy Wall Street, protest movement against social and income inequality
• Progressive Democrats of America, a progressive political organization and political action committee
• Ready For Warren, coalition of progressive activists originally supporting a draft effort for Senator Elizabeth Warren (will change name to Ready To Fight)
• Tri-Valley Democratic Club (Tri-Valley, California)
• Vermont Progressive Party
• Washington State Progressive Caucus
• Vermont National Education Association

External links

• Bernie Sanders for President - official campaign website
  • Racial Justice
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Bernie Sanders (Video 59:43; C-SPAN; March 9, 2015; National Press Club).