Senator Bernie Sanders, 82, announces he will run for re-election

Washington- Senator Bernie Sandersan independent from Vermont, said Monday he will seek re-election in November.

The 82-year-old announced in a social media video that he would seek a fourth term in the Senate, saying serving in the upper house of Congress was “the honor of my life,” while highlighting a number progressive priorities that remain. .

“Today I am announcing my intention to run for another term,” Sanders said, adding that he was able to “provide the type of help Vermonters need during these difficult times.”

Sanders said in a statement that the upcoming election would be “the most important national election of our lifetime,” insisting that “we must fight to ensure we remain a democracy.” While highlighting his progressive accomplishments during his Senate tenure, Sanders listed a number of remaining priorities — from universal health care to lowering prescription drug prices to reducing carbon emissions and protecting women’s access to reproductive health care.

“The stakes are enormous,” he said. “This is an election we must not lose.”

Vermont’s independent group works with Democrats, leads a high-profile committee on health care and is part of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s leadership team.

For Sanders, the longest-serving independent member of Congress in U.S. history, his re-election in deep blue Vermont is all but guaranteed. But it remains to be seen whether he will be able to get his priorities through Congress in another term.

Sanders ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 and 2020, but ultimately fell short in the primary process to the more moderate candidates, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and current President Biden. But in recent years he has emerged as the leading progressive voice in the Senate, often working with Mr. Biden to promote shared priorities and wielding serious influence within the chamber.

In recent months, Sanders has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government, sometimes breaking with Democratic leaders. In his re-election video announcement Monday, he reiterated that while “Israel had the absolute right to defend itself” against the October 7 attack, “it does not and does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people, which is exactly what he is doing.”