Love him or hate him, there is no denying that the story of Bernie Sanders is a long and interesting tale. It is a remarkable turn of events that a small-time senator from Vermont is not at the forefront of an election campaign that could end with him in the White house. Here are five of our favorite facts about this previously unknown politician.
5. He has an English brother who is also a politician
Bernie's elder brother Larry Sanders is an American-British social worker who ran for a seat in Parliament in the 2015 UK general election as a member of the Green party. Larry failed to win the election, coming 5th with 4.4% of the votes in his constituency. Since last year, he has worked as health spokesperson for the Greens. Larry has lived in Britain since the '60s when he took a position as a university lecturer.
4. He marched for civil rights in college.
In 1962 the civil rights movement was just picking up steam when Bernie Sanders (then a college student at the University of Chicago) joined the congress of racial equality (CORE). He organised the first civil-rights protest in Chicago history, against racial segregation at the university.
Sanders was later arrested in 1963 for protesting against segregation. He was found guilty of resisting arrest and fined $25.
Sanders was later arrested in 1963 for protesting against segregation. He was found guilty of resisting arrest and fined $25.
3. He was elected by just ten votes
In 1981 Bernie Sanders was elected to be Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, with a winning majority of just ten votes. This was a marked improvement on his previous election history. In 1972, he failed to win a seat in the senate by only achieving 1% of the vote. Sanders followed up he narrow election success as Mayor of Burlington with another three terms. He second attempt at running for Senate was much more successful than the first. He took 71% of the vote in 2012, setting up his run for President.
2. He wrote directly to Obama
In a highly unorthodox move, Bernie wrote directly to President Obama, asking him to "act on his own" - bypass congress and close tax loopholes for "the most profitable businesses" using an executive order. This may sound trivial but it's a highly unusual step for a US politician, where talking action outside of the normal channels is often frowned upon.
1. He recorded a folk song in the '80s
Yes, you read that right. Bernie Sanders was, for a short time at least, a folk singer. In 1987, Sanders released an album called "We shall overcome" with a group of local Vermont musicians. The politically themed album contained spoken word tracks and folk-inspired music. Honestly, the album is pretty terrible, but you can listen to a sample of it below. Don't say we didn't warn you.
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