Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announces re-election bid
76-year-old Jewish independent, considered possible contender for 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, says 2018 midterm election would be pivotal
BURLINGTON, Vermont — Independent US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont said he is running for re-election this fall.
Sanders’s campaign made the announcement Monday.
Sanders, 76, plans to launch his campaign next month with a series of rallies across Vermont.
In a statement issued by his campaign, Sanders — who is also among the list of possible contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, having been defeated by Hillary Clinton in the last campaign — said it had been an honor to serve the people of Vermont, but more remained to be done.
He said the 2018 midterm election would be a pivotal moment in US history and people must fight for an agenda that works for working people.
Sanders was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and the first Jewish presidential candidate to win nominating contests in a major party.
He has long been an outspoken critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, including accusing the IDF of “massively overreacting” to recent violent protests on the Gaza border.
Last week he released a video highlighting the Palestinian demand for a “right of return,” but his office declined to clarify whether he supports such a right, which, if implemented, would spell the end of Israel as a Jewish state.
“Senator Sanders believes that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict needs to be resolved by the parties in accordance with international law and past UN resolutions,” a senior adviser to Sanders told The Times of Israel.
“At the moment, however, Sen. Sanders is more concerned with de-escalating violence against civilians, addressing Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, and ending the occupation and settlements which undermine possibility of a two-state solution and a peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”
In March, Sanders helped launch what purports to be a global peace movement on the anniversary of the Iraq War, which he said precipitated much of the chaos in the Middle East.
“Had it not been for the Iraq War, ISIS would almost certainly not exist,” Sanders said in the Global Call for Peace. “It undermined American diplomatic efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”
Sanders was first elected to the US House in 1990. He was elected to the Senate in 2006.
Eric Cortellessa contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.