Feeling the Bern, Three Years On

Senator Bernie Sanders made his name on the national stage as a progressive Democratic trailblazer during the 2016 election. His proposals for universal medicare, tuition-free college, and high taxes on the wealthy (criticized at the time as unrealistic and overly expensive) set him apart from rival Hillary Clinton. Three years later, Sanders has launched a second presidential bid, raising an unheard-of $5.9 million in the first 24 hours following his announcement. But this time, he finds himself in a vastly different political arena—nearly all of the major contenders for the Democratic nomination have adopted his progressive economic policies.

So what sets Bernie apart in 2020? One of his most enduring qualities—which campaign supporters will be quick to point out—is his long-standing support for progressive social policies. He was arrested in 1963 at a civil rights protest in Chicago. He supported a gay pride parade in Burlington in 1983 as its newly elected mayor. Thirteen years later, while serving as a congressman, Sanders was one of 67 representatives in the House to vote "no" to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which reduced federal support for gay marriage and was widely seen as a move to limit LGBT rights.

Sanders has also struck a somewhat different chord on modern racial issues from his Democratic rivals. Being one of the only white males competing in the Democratic primary, he criticized other candidates for promoting the idea “that all we need [are]….candidates who are black or white, who are black or Latino or woman [sic] or gay—regardless of what they stand for,” he said. In essence, Sanders has held back on throwing his full support behind identity politics, instead focusing on income inequality and economic issues as the centerpiece for his campaign. While this does set his platform apart from other more socially conscious candidates, Sanders’s decision may turn out to be something that the Democratic base will hold against him.

Sanders has also come under fire from liberals and progressives for being overly moderate on gun control and regulation. Their biggest concern is his vote for a 2005 law which ensured that weapon manufacturers could not be held accountable when violent crimes are committed with their products (a position which he still maintains in the face of heavy criticism). But this is unlikely to be a big problem for the Sanders campaign. Put simply, Democratic voters don’t care about gun policy nearly as much as Republicans do.

So far, Sanders has a considerable lead in terms of name recognition, funding, and overall favorability compared to the other Democratic candidates in the running. Though it remains to be seen whether he can hold that lead through the rest of 2019 and into 2020, it seems that Bernie Sanders has a good chance of becoming the next president of the United States.