“The next time you hear me attacked as a socialist - like tomorrow - remember this: I don't believe that government should take over the grocery store down the street or control the means of production. But I believe that the middle class and the working families who produce the wealth of America deserve a fair deal.”

American politician and activist, senior United States senator from Vermont since 2007

Bernard Sanders is an American politician and activist, and the senior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He is known as a democratic socialist and as one of the leading figures in modern American progressivism. Sanders is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history, though he has long worked closely with Democrats and has caucused with them for most of his congressional career. He sought the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020, and his public life is closely tied to progressive politics in the United States.