Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont went on Meet the Press this morning (September 14) and dropped a bombshell about his future political plans.
In the interview with new MTP moderator Chuck Todd, Sanders was clear that 2016 was a possibility, and said an upcoming trip to Iowa — where the nation’s first caucuses are held each year — was largely tied to his possible candidacy.
“One of the reasons I’m going to Iowa is to get a sense of how people feel about it… Look, the truth is (there is) profound anger at both political parties, more and more people are becoming independent. The negative is: how do you set up a 50-state infrastructure as an independent?”
And since there is a challenge in running for president as an independent — Texas billionaire Ross Perot was the most successful candidate in modern history and still failed to win a single Electoral College vote — Sanders said he is considering joining the Democratic Party in order to mount a bid for President.
Sanders said that while a 2016 race could possibly pit him against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her second attempt at a the presidency, the issue is not about Clinton but about reaching a different class of voter.
“I think anybody who speaks to the needs of the working class and the middle class of this country and shows the courage to take on the billionaire class, I think that candidate will do pretty well.”
Sanders’ confirmation that he is thinking about a run is the second such confirmation since July, when The Daily Beast ran a story quoting his comments about a possible run and again saying it had nothing to do with wanting to challenge Clinton in 2016.
“If I run, it doesn’t matter whether Hillary runs. We have a message, and I’ve got to make that determination. But I don’t want to get into Hillary gossip.”
In addition to the Sanders, there has been talk that freshman U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren , a Massachusetts Democrat born in Oklahoma, may make a run for the White House against Clinton.
As for Sanders, it would be one of the first times in recent memory that an avowed socialist — he was described as one by The Daily Beast and has confirmed his political views in previous interviews — has run in a major party primary for the White House.
So far, no Democrats have yet confirmed their entry into the 2016 race, though Clinton has said she would make a decision following the first of the year.
[Image via Flickr Creative Commons ]