Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-V.T., announced his plans to retire after his fourth Senate term. Sanders said it is unlikely he’ll run for re-election at the end of his term, finishing a 40-year congressional career when he leaves office in 2030 at the age 89.
“I’m 83 now. I’ll be 89 when I get out of here. You can do the figuring. I don’t know, but I would assume, probably, yes,” Sanders told Politico when asked if this would be his final term.
The announcement follows Sanders’ reelection victory last month, defeating Republican Gerald Malloy 63 percent to 32 percent. Since entering Congress in 1991, Sanders has evolved from a lone socialist voice to a leader of the far-Left who helped reshape Democratic Party politics through two presidential campaigns.
After President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory, Sanders intensified his criticism of Democratic Party leadership. He quit the party officially after the 2020 Democratic primary, but had been previously Independent before filing to run with the party he caucuses with.
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” he said in a post-election statement.
“The average American is hurting,” Sanders added in his latest interview. “You’ve got to recognize the reality of what’s going on. And I’m not sure that enough Democrats are doing that.”
The Progressive Caucus, which Sanders co-founded with five members in 1991, has grown to over 100 representatives. “Dozens of them are really strong progressives who share my perspectives,” Sanders said, but noted that some newer members have gone even further than his socialist leanings.
While praising some Biden administration achievements on drug prices and infrastructure, Sanders said he remains focused on healthcare reform as he prepares to step down as chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in January.
“We are the only major country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee healthcare to all of its people. And we pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,” Sanders said. “My vision is pretty clear as to where we have to go.”
The Vermont independent served 16 years in the House before being elected to his first three terms in the Senate.
His retirement will mark the end of the beginning of far-Left Democratic progressive politics. Sanders complained the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential primaries were rigged against his supporters, but still managed to push the party leftward on economic, education, and “woke” policies.