Bernie Sanders is a politician.
Bernard Sanders ( born September 8 , 1941 ) is an American politician who has been the junior United States Senator from Vermont since 2007 . He went on to be reelected as mayor three times . He served as a congressman for 16 years before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 . Sanders announced his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 30 , 2015 .