Vermont's independent Sen. Bernie Sanders will be heading to Iowa later this month in pursuit of a possible bid for the Democratic presidential nomination,
The Hill reported.
He has meanwhile been solidifying his relationship with the Democratic base, addressing an AFL-CIO breakfast in Manchester, N.H., over the Labor Day weekend. He will spend Sept. 13-14 in Iowa. His candidacy would appeal to liberals put off by Hillary Clinton's Wall Street ties, according to the Hill.
Sanders, born in 1941, is an independent socialist who caucuses with the Democrats. In the Senate he has called attention to the "shrinking middle class and widening income gap in America." And
in a Labor Day message he called for an agenda "that works for all Americans, and not just the very rich."
He wrote: "The sad reality of today's America is that while the wealthiest people and largest corporations are doing phenomenally well, the middle class is disappearing and millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages." He called on Congress to "start listening to the needs of ordinary Americans, not just the billionaire class and their lobbyists."
He said government spending to repair the country's "crumbling infrastructure" would generate "millions of new jobs" while significantly improving the lives of "low-wage workers by raising the minimum wage."
Sanders also spoke out against what he has termed "corporate deserters" that throw "American workers out on the street" to exploit cheap labor in China. He advocated tax reform that would punish firms that seek to protect their "profits in foreign tax havens."
He also advocated "real campaign finance reform" so that billionaires— citing the example of the Koch brothers— "are no longer able to buy elections."
Sanders does not face re-election to the Senate for another four years. He has $4.4 million in his campaign war chest. The average contribution to his campaign is $41,
according to the Burlington Free Press. He campaigned for Elizabeth Warren during her successful run for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, according to The Almanac of American Politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.