One of the current Senatorial representatives for the state of Vermont, Senator Bernie Sanders has held some form of public office for the better part of 32 years. Senator Sanders was born on September 8th, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York to Polish immigrant parents, where he remained through his high school graduation. Upon graduation, he attended the University of Chicago, graduating in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. After he received his degree, Sanders moved to the state of Vermont. Before his political career took off, Sanders held many odd jobs before winning the Mayoral election of 1981 in Burlington, Vermont by only 12 votes. It was at his victory party that he met his current wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, with whom he has four children. Sanders went on to win three more terms, his last being in 1987.
In 1988, Sanders unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. Following his loss, he went to teach at Harvard University during the 1989-1990 school year. In 1990 Sanders again ran for a seat in the House, this time winning by 16 percent and becoming the first independent candidate elected to the House in 40 years. Sanders, a self described socialist, won re-election to seven consecutive terms after his initial appointment, with his 2004-2006 term being his last. After 14 years in the House, Sanders announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in 2005. He would go on to win the 2006 election against republican businessman Richard Tarrant by 33.1 percent of the vote, and has been serving in the United States Senate since 2007. Senator Sanders is up for re-election in 2012.
Senator Sanders has many varying interests, including the dairy and agriculture industries, the national economy, education, energy and environment, foreign policy, veteran’s affairs, civil liberties, national health care and prescription drugs. Over the course of his career he has been extremely outspoken against the Federal Reserve, including the introduction of a Senate companion bill to a House bill that would conduct an audit of the Federal Reserve. Currently, Senator Sanders sits on five Senatorial Committees, the Committee on Environment and Public works, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on the Budget. He is also the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy. |
