Bernard Sanders
IndependentU.S. Senator, VT| Age | 84 (b. 1941-09-08) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 1991-01-03 (~35 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White; Polish-Jewish heritage (father immigrated from Austrian Galicia, now Poland) |
| Religion | Jewish (ethnically/culturally; says he is proud to be Jewish but 'not particularly religious' and not actively involved in organized religion; says he believes in God in a non-traditional way) |
| Education | Attended Brooklyn College (1959-1960), then transferred to the University of Chicago, earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1964 |
| Prior occupation | Before elected office worked variously as a carpenter, freelance writer/journalist, documentary filmmaker, Head Start preschool teacher, and psychiatric aide |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Brooklyn, New York |
| Languages | English |
| Marital status | Married — Mary Jane O'Meara Sanders (married 1988) |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence | Burlington, Vermont |
| Notable relatives | Brother Larry Sanders, a politician in the UK (Green Party of England and Wales health spokesperson; ran for Parliament). Son Levi Sanders ran (unsuccessfully) for U.S. House in New Hampshire in 2018. |
Pending research: openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 1981 |
| Previous offices | Mayor of Burlington, Vermont (1981-1989) · U.S. Representative for Vermont's at-large district (1991-2007) |
| Committees | Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) - Ranking Member (119th Congress, 2025-) · Senate Budget Committee · Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Senate Environment and Public Works Committee · Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee |
| Caucuses | Congressional Progressive Caucus (co-founder, 1991) · Senate Democratic Caucus (caucuses with Democrats) |
| Leadership | Chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus (House, 1990s) · Chair, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (2013-2015) · Ranking Member, Senate Budget Committee (2015-2021) · Chair, Senate Budget Committee (2021-2023) · Chair, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (2023-2025) · Ranking Member, Senate HELP Committee (2025-) · Chair, Senate Democratic Outreach Committee |
| Party history | Liberty Union Party (1970-1977); Independent since 1978; affiliated with the Vermont Progressive Party; caucuses with Senate Democrats; ran for president as a candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2016 and 2020 but has otherwise remained a registered Independent. |
| Ideology | Self-identified democratic socialist; widely regarded as one of the most progressive/left-leaning members of the Senate (consistently among the most liberal DW-NOMINATE scores). |
| Signature legislation | Raise the Wage Act (federal $15/hour minimum wage proposal, 2021; later $17 by 2030 version) · Medicare for All Act (single-payer national health insurance proposal) · Inflation Reduction Act (2022) - key role on Medicare drug-price negotiation and $35/month insulin cap for Medicare patients · Veterans Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act (Veterans' Affairs reform, 2014) · Co-sponsor, Cancer Registries Amendment Act (1992) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $472,027–$1,305,000 (2018) · estimate
| Primary residence, Burlington, Vermont (purchased ~2009) | real_estate · 2020 |
| Rowhouse in Washington, D.C. (purchased 2007 for ~$489,000) | real_estate · 2020 |
| Lakefront vacation home on Lake Champlain, North Hero, Vermont (purchased 2016 for ~$575,000) | real_estate · 2016 |
Top donors: Alphabet Inc (Google) employees (over $250,000 (2016 cycle)) · University of California employees (high-ranking individual contributor (2016 cycle)) · Microsoft employees (third-ranked contributor (2016 cycle)) · Apple Inc employees (over $85,000 (2016 cycle)) · Amazon employees (~$63,000 (2016 cycle))
Top industries: Education (university/college employees) · Technology/internet (computer and electronics industry) · Retired individuals · Health professionals
Scandals & crimes ledger
Convicted (found guilty); fined $25 — 1963 arrest and conviction for resisting arrest at Chicago civil rights protest
On August 12, 1963, while a University of Chicago student and civil rights activist, Bernard 'Bernie' Sanders was arrested at a demonstration on Chicago's South Side protesting segregation in the city's public schools (specifically the use of mobile classroom trailers known as 'Willis Wagons' to keep Black students segregated). He was charged with resisting arrest, found guilty, and fined $25. The arrest and a photograph of it were later confirmed authentic by Sanders and his campaign in 2016. This was a misdemeanor-level matter arising from civil rights activism.
resolved — FEC MUR 7035 — Prohibited In-Kind Foreign Contribution from Australian Labor Party (2016 Campaign) business
The FEC determined that the Bernie 2016 campaign violated federal law by accepting a prohibited in-kind foreign contribution from the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The ALP paid approximately $24,422 in flights and stipends for seven Australian volunteers who worked on the 2016 Sanders presidential campaign. The campaign entered a conciliation agreement and paid a $14,500 civil penalty without admitting fault, stating it disputed that any rules were broken but settled to avoid a prolonged legal fight.
resolved — FEC MUR 7587 — Hiring of Foreign Nationals as Campaign Advisers (2016 and 2020 Campaigns) business
The FEC found that Senator Bernard Sanders personally, along with his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaign committees, violated 52 U.S.C. § 30121 by knowingly hiring three foreign nationals — DACA recipients from Mexico and Argentina — in advisory roles including Latino outreach organizer, national Latino outreach strategist, and Latino press secretary. The Commission voted 4-1 to accept the conciliation agreement, requiring a $15,000 civil penalty and a cease-and-desist from future violations.