Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, announced Tuesday he is launching a bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, hoping to reignite the ardent progressive support of his insurgent 2016 campaign. "We're gonna win," he told "CBS This Morning" co-host John Dickerson. In his second run, Sanders is vowing to launch a grassroots movement that will "lay the groundwork for transforming the economic and political life of this country." He stressed that the chief priority for Democrats is to thwart President Trump's reelection bid next year. "It is absolutely imperative that Donald Trump be defeated, because I think it is unacceptable and un-American, to be frank with you, that we have a president who is a pathological liar," Sanders said during a wide-ranging interview in his home in Vermont. "We have a president who is a racist, who is a sexist, who is a xenophobe, who is doing what no president in our lifetimes has come close to do doing, and that is trying to divide us up," he added. By joining the most diverse Democratic primary field in U.S. history, the 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist will face more difficulty billing himself as the standard-bearer of the Democratic Party's progressive wing this time around. In 2016, Sanders mounted a forceful but ultimately unsuccessful challenge against establishment candidate and eventual Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, prompting her to move to the left on several key issues. But the three-term senator is now entering a field already crowded with several high-profile candidates — including five other senators — but no clear favorite. Candidates like Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have already begun highlighting their progressive bona fides on the campaign trail, throwing their support behind bold proposals like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal while touting a tough stance on Wall Street. So far, nearly a dozen Democrats have declared their candidacy for president or launched presidential exploratory committees, including senators Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar; Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; and former Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary Julián Castro. Several others, like former Vice President Joe Biden, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, are also mulling bids for the Democratic nomination. Sanders said he will again campaign on progressive policies like raising the minimum wage, universal healthcare and tuition-free public higher education, making them fundamental issues of his second White House bid. The Vermont lawmaker took credit for the support that these policies, once considered fringe proposals, have garnered among rank-and-file Democrats. "All of those ideas people were saying, 'Oh Bernie, they're so radical. They are extreme. The American people just won't accept those ideas.' Well, you know what's happened in over three years? All of those ideas and many more are now part of the political mainstream," he said. Dickerson also asked Sanders about former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who has said he's mulling an independent White House run but might drop it if Democrats choose a moderate, rather than a progressive, to take on the president. Sanders dismissed Schultz as a billionaire who's essentially "blackmailing the Democratic Party." "If you don't nominate Bernie Sanders he's not gonna run?" Sanders said of Schultz. "Well, I don't think we should succumb to that kind of blackmail." Dickerson pointed out that Schultz represents the argument that Democrats, in order to win voters in more conservative parts of the country, have to pick a candidate who isn't as radical. "I think his deeper theory is, 'Hey, I'm a billionaire. Leave me alone. And let me make as much as money as I can without paying my fair share of taxes,'" Sanders countered, without acknowledging the point. In the 2020 campaign cycle, Sanders can expect to confront some of the same hurdles that hindered his 2016 campaign, including his struggle to galvanize minority voters and his insistence on identifying as an independent and not as a Democrat. Sanders garnered more than 13 million primary votes and carried 23 states during the Democratic primaries by energizing a movement of young voters with his fiery populist rhetoric. But he consistently underperformed among African-American and Latino voters and suffered humbling defeats to Clinton in diverse states, like California and South Carolina. After Mr. Trump's stunning victory two years ago, many Democrats, including Clinton herself, criticized Sanders for what they believed was his tepid support for Clinton, and for the tenor of his primary campaign. In her book What Happened, Clinton said "[Sanders'] attacks caused lasting damage, making it harder to unify progressives in the general election and paving the way for Trump's 'Crooked Hillary' campaign." During the interview with CBS News, Sanders downplayed the criticism he has received for not running as a Democrat in Congress, saying he's caucused with congressional Democrats for decades. But he added that a growing number of Americans are dissatisfied with both Republicans and Democrats. "If the Democratic party is going to do well in the future, I think they have to reach out to those independents, including, by the way, a lot of young people, a lot of people of color, and bring them into the Democratic Party. And I think I'm in a good position to do that," he said. Recently, Sanders has also been forced to address allegations from several female staff members of his 2016 campaign who say they were harassed. In a public apology last month, he denounced sexism and said the women's experiences were not part of "what a progressive campaign, or any campaign, should be about." Sanders has also met with some of the women from his 2016 campaign who said they experienced harassment and felt discriminated against. Dickerson asked him what he learned from them. "I learned that that was true. And, it … breaks my heart," he said. His campaign, Sanders recalled, "kind of exploded," rapidly expanding from "a few" to "a lot" of staffers. "And I will be very honest in telling you that, in retrospect, some of the people that were hired should not have been hired, and some women went through experiences that they should not have," he told Dickerson. "This has been an issue that has upset me and we're gonna rectify it in this campaign," Sanders said, pledging to implement the "strongest protocols" to protect women and other staff members working in his new campaign from harassment. The president's 2020 campaign quickly slammed Sanders' announcement, accusing him of having an unpopular and fringe agenda. "Bernie Sanders has already won the debate in the Democrat primary, because every candidate is embracing his brand of socialism," Kayleigh McEnany, the campaign's national press secretary, wrote in a statement Tuesday. "But the American people will reject an agenda of sky-high tax rates, government-run health care and coddling dictators like those in Venezuela." Since Mr. Trump's election, the Vermont senator has joined his Democratic colleagues in opposing most of the president's Cabinet and Supreme Court nominees and his policies on immigration, climate change and the tax system. Sanders has called the president a "pathological liar" and vowed to defeat "Trumpism and the Republican right-wing ideology." In 2017, his "Medicare for All" legislation was backed by 16 Senate Democrats, including most of the ones who have launched White House bids. Sanders, who has been outspoken in his criticism of U.S. military interventions abroad and has advocated for defense cuts, spearheaded a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition waging a bloody war in Yemen that passed in the Senate in December. Before his election to the Senate in 2006, Sanders represented Vermont's at-large congressional district in the House for 16 years. He has made universal healthcare, tuition-free college education and efforts to combat income inequality integral themes of his legislative agenda. Sanders also opposed the 1991 and 2002 resolutions to authorize military engagement in Iraq. Prior to his tenure in Congress, Sanders served as mayor of Burlington, Vermont for three terms. As a politically active college student at the University of Chicago during the 1960s, he was involved in the civil rights movement. Sanders, the son of Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe, was born and raised in Brooklyn.<doc-sep>Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersSenate competitiveness bill includes B authorization for Bezos space company Sanders wants government to get 'piece' of US semiconductor companies in exchange for aid Poll: 51 percent oppose Sanders-led resolution to block weapons sales to Israel MORE (I-Vt.) on Tuesday slammed Howard Schultz's possible 2020 presidential bid, claiming that his credibility as a potential candidate was buoyed by his status as a billionaire. Sanders lambasted Schultz in an interview on "CBS This Morning" after announcing his own candidacy for president. "Oh isn't that nice?" Sanders said sarcastically when CBS's John Dickerson mentioned Schultz's possible run as an independent. "Why is Howard Schultz on every television station in this country? Why are you quoting Howard Schultz? Because he's a billionaire." ADVERTISEMENT "There are a lot of people I know personally who work hard for a living and make 40 or $50,000 a year who know a lot more about politics, than, with all due respect, does Mr. Schultz," Sanders continued. "But because we have a corrupt system, anybody who is a billionaire and can throw a lot of TV ads around on television suddenly becomes very, very credible," he added. "So Mr. Schultz, what is he blackmailing the Democratic Party? If you don't nominate Bernie Sanders, he's not going to run?" he quipped. "Well, I don't think we should succumb to that kind of blackmail." Schultz, a former Starbucks CEO, has drawn ample media attention without making any formal announcement of his possible White House run. He has been featured on CBS's "60 Minutes" and held an hourlong prime-time town hall on CNN. Sanders said his primary goal is to defeat President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE in 2020. "The bottom line for me is I think it is absolutely imperative that Donald Trump be defeated," he said in Tuesday's interview.<doc-sep>Sen. Bernie Sanders has raised more than $1 million for his 2020 presidential campaign in less than four hours, his team confirms, putting him well ahead of other contenders who launched their bids with strong financial support. Sanders, I-Vermont, formally joined the presidential race Tuesday morning, telling "CBS This Morning" he intends to win the Democratic nomination and the White House next year. "We're gonna win," he told "CBS This Morning" co-host John Dickerson. In his second run, Sanders is vowing to launch a grassroots movement that will "lay the groundwork for transforming the economic and political life of this country." An aide confirmed Tuesday morning that Sanders had easily raised more than $1 million in the first three and a half hours since the senator launched his campaign at 7 a.m. ET. One senior aide who confirmed the sum added at around 7 a.m. PT, "And California is just getting up." A full campaign finance report won't be available until later this year to independently verify the amount raised. But if true, the haul puts Sanders well ahead of other contenders who raised big money after their announcements. In January, Sen. Kamala Harris raised about $1.5 million from more than 38,000 people in all 50 states in the first 24 hours of her campaign – an eye-popping sum that raised alarm bells at rival campaigns. The average donation was $37, her campaign said. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. this month also raised more than $1 million in the first 48 hours of her campaign. Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker did not see similar spikes when they launched their campaigns – but each has millions of dollars in their Senate campaign accounts that they can opt to transfer into a presidential campaign account. Warren had about $12.5 million in her 2018 reelection campaign coffers at the start of the year; Gillibrand had about $10 million; and Booker's campaign had about $4.1 million at the end of 2017, according to the Federal Election Commission.<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose insurgent 2016 presidential campaign reshaped Democratic politics, announced Tuesday that he is running for president in 2020. “Our campaign is not only about defeating Donald Trump,” the 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist said in an email to supporters. “Our campaign is about transforming our country and creating a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice.” An enthusiastic progressive who embraces proposals ranging from Medicare for All to free college tuition, Sanders stunned the Democratic establishment in 2016 with his spirited challenge to Hillary Clinton. While she ultimately became the party’s nominee, his campaign helped lay the groundwork for the leftward lurch that has dominated Democratic politics in the Trump era. The question now for Sanders is whether he can stand out in a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates who also embrace many of his policy ideas and are newer to the national political stage. That’s far different from 2016, when he was Clinton’s lone progressive adversary. I'm running for president. I am asking you to join me today as part of an unprecedented and historic grassroots campaign that will begin with at least 1 million people from across the country. Say you're in: https://t.co/KOTx0WZqRf pic.twitter.com/T1TLH0rm26 — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 19, 2019 Still, there is no question that Sanders will be a formidable contender for the Democratic nomination. He won more than 13 million votes in 2016 and dozens of primaries and caucuses. He opens his campaign with a nationwide organization and a proven small-dollar fundraising effort. “We’re gonna win,” Sanders told CBS. He said he was going to launch “what I think is unprecedented in modern American history”: a grassroots movement “to lay the groundwork for transforming the economic and political life of this country.” Sanders described his new White House bid as a “continuation of what we did in 2016,” noting that policies he advocated for then are now embraced by the Democratic Party. “You know what’s happened in over three years?” he said. “All of these ideas and many more are now part of the political mainstream.” Sanders could be well positioned to compete in the nation’s first primary in neighboring New Hampshire, which he won by 22 points in 2016. But he won’t have the state to himself. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, another Democratic presidential contender, was in New Hampshire on Monday and said she’d compete for the state. She also appeared to take a dig at Sanders. “The people of New Hampshire will tell me what’s required to compete in New Hampshire,” she told shoppers at a bookstore in Concord. “But I will tell you I’m not a democratic socialist.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren of nearby Massachusetts will be in New Hampshire on Friday. One of the biggest questions surrounding Sanders’ candidacy is how he’ll compete against someone like Warren, who shares many of his policy goals. Warren has already launched her campaign and has planned an aggressive swing through the early primary states. Shortly after announcing her exploratory committee, Warren hired Brendan Summers, who managed Sanders’ 2016 Iowa campaign. Other staffers from Sanders’ first bid also have said they would consider working for other candidates in 2020. The crowded field includes a number of other candidates who will likely make strong appeals to the Democratic base including Harris and Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. The field could also grow, with a number of high-profile Democrats still considering presidential bids, including former Vice President Joe Biden and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke. #BREAKING: Senator @BernieSanders tells @CBSNews in an exclusive interview that he will run for president. "We're gonna win. We are gonna also launch what I think is unprecedented in modern American history and that is a grassroots movement." https://t.co/b9l17Noxqa pic.twitter.com/cFO0lJdQTL — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) February 19, 2019 While Sanders had been working to lay the groundwork for a second campaign for months, it was unclear whether he will be able to expand his appeal beyond his largely white base of supporters. In 2016, Sanders notably struggled to garner support from black voters, an issue that could become particularly pervasive during a primary race that could include several non-white candidates. Last month, he joined Booker at an event in Columbia, South Carolina, marking the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. In 2016, Sanders lost the South Carolina primary, which features a heavily black electorate, by 47 points.