Bernard Sanders

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U.S. Senator

Bernard Sanders

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I-VT

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Positions
Leadership: No leadership position
Committees: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Senate Committee on the Budget
(subcommittees and past assignments)

Candidates for the VT-Senate Class I Seat:
(Next election: 6 November 2012)

Confirmed: None so far
Considering: None so far
Rumored: None so far
Potential: None so far
Dropped-out: None so far
(more info and editing for the VT-Senate Class I Seat)
On the Web
Official website

Bernie Sanders is the Junior Senator for the state of Vermont. He is an Independent and was first elected in 2006.

Contents

Record and controversies

Congressional scorecards

Click through the score to see the records of other members of Congress and full descriptions of the individual votes.

Want to see someone else's scorecard added to the list? You can do it!

Organization 2007 Scorecard
Score - Agree ratio 		2008 Scorecard
Score - Agree ratio
American Civil Liberties Union not avail. not avail.
American Conservative Union 4 - 1/25 not avail.
AFSCME 100 - 7/7 not avail.
Americans for Democratic Action 95 - 19/20 100 - 20/20
Club for Growth not avail. not avail.
Drum Major Institute not avail. not avail.
Family Research Council 0 - 0/9 0 - 0/9
Information Technology Industry Council 60 - 3/5 60 - 3/5
League of Conservation Voters not avail. 100 - 11/11
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People not avail. not avail.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce 27 - 3/11 not avail.


Iraq War

Sanders voted against the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq in the fall of 2002 and opposed the subsequent invasion. He later joined almost all of his colleagues in voting for a non-binding resolution expressing support for U.S. troops at the outset of the invasion, although he gave a floor speech blasting the partisan nature of the resolution and the Bush administration's actions in the run-up to the war.

For more information see the chart of U.S. Senate votes on the Iraq War.

Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act

On January 15, 2007, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.[1] The measure was intended to increase performance standards for electricity generation and motor vehicles with the option of an emissions "cap and trade" system.

Main article: U.S. congressional action on climate change#Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007 (S.309)

Reparations for Japanese Latin Americans

Sanders cosponsored The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act in the 110th Congress which would establish a commission that would determine the facts and circumstances involving the relocation, internment and deportation of Japanese Latin Americans.[2]

Main article: Redress for Japanese Latin Americans/ U.S. legislation#Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act of 2007

Bio

Background

The son of a Polish immigrant, Sanders was born September 8, 1941 in Brooklyn New York. Sanders was educated at Brooklyn College and the University of Chicago. He has lived in Vermont since 1964. He was a member of the anti-Vietnam War Liberty Union Party, and in the 1970s ran for governor and senator four times. Sanders is married to the former Dr. Jane O'Meara, president of Burlington College, and they have four children.

Sanders has worked as a free-lance writer, documentary film maker, was the director of the American People's Historical Society (1977) and a lecturer at Hamilton College (1989-1990) and Harvard University (1989).

In 1981, at the suggestion of a friend who was a philosophy professor at the University of Vermont, Sanders ran for mayor of Burlington, and defeated a six-term Democratic incumbent by 12 votes. Increasingly popular because of his successful revitalization of the downtown area, he won three more terms, defeating Democratic and Republican candidates. In his last run for mayor, in 1987, he defeated a candidate endorsed by both major parties.

During his first term, supporters of Sanders formed the Progressive Coalition, forerunner of the Vermont Progressive Party. The Progressives never held more than six seats on the 13-member city council, but it was enough to keep the council from overriding Sanders' vetoes. Under Sanders, Burlington became the first city in the country to fund community-trust housing. His administration also sued the local cable provider and won considerably reduced rates and a substantial cash settlement.

Sanders ran for governor in 1986. He finished third with 14.5% of the vote, which was enough to deny incumbent Democrat Madeleine Kunin a majority; she was elected by the state legislature. In 1988 when six-term incumbent Representative Jim Jeffords made a successful run for the Senate, Sanders ran for the open seat and narrowly lost to Peter Smith, the former lieutenant governor and the Republican candidate for governor two years earlier. He sought a rematch against Smith in 1990. In one of the biggest upsets in recent political history, he took 56 percent of the vote and defeated Smith by 16 points, becoming the first independent member of the House since 1950.

Congressional career

House of Representative election record

Sanders has been reelected six times and is the longest-serving independent member of the House. Despite his independent status, he has only faced one difficult contest. That came in 1994, in the midst of a huge Republican wave that saw that party take control of the House. In a year where marginal seats fell to Republicans left and right, Sanders managed a narrow 3-point victory. In every other election, he has never failed to win less than 55 percent of the vote. Most recently, in 2004, Sanders took 69% to Republican Greg Parke's 24% and Democrat Larry Drown's 7%.

Positions and Views

On the domestic front, Sanders supports universal health care and opposes foreign trade agreements which, he says, deprive American workers of their jobs while exploiting foreign workers in sweat-shop factories. An amendment he offered in 2005 to limit provisions giving the government power to obtain individuals' library and book-buying records passed the House by a significant bi-partisan majority, giving President Bush a rare and major legislative defeat and marking the first rejection of any section of the USA PATRIOT Act. His lifetime legislative score from the AFL-CIO is 100%. In contrast, as of 2004, he has a grade of "F" from the National Rifle Association, despite the fact that he voted against the Brady Bill and in October 2005 Sanders voted in favor of an NRA-sponsored bill to restrict lawsuits against gun manufacturers.[1]. On other issues Sanders does occasionally supported Republican led bills: he voted to abolish the marriage penalty and also for a bill that sought to ban human cloning.

Relations with rest of House

Although relations between Sanders and House Democratic leadership have not always been smooth, the Democrats have not actively campaigned against Sanders since his first run for Congress. While Democratic candidates have run against him in every election except 1994 (when Sanders managed to win the Democrats' endorsement), they have received scant financial support. He has endorsed every Democratic candidate for president of the United States since 1992.

Campaign for Senate

Sanders had mentioned on several occasions that he would run for the Senate if Jeffords, a longtime friend, ever retired. When Jeffords announced on April 21, 2005 that he would not seek a fourth term in 2006, Sanders wasted little time in formally jumping into the race.

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, immediately endorsed Sanders. Schumer's backing was critical, as it likely means that any Democrat running against Sanders cannot expect to receive significant financial backing. He was also endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean (a former governor of Vermont and presidential candidate in 2004) and other leading Democrats. Dean said in May that he considered Sanders an ally who voted with House Democrats.

According to the leftist magazine In These Times, "Judging from his popularity, Sanders' election is all but assured. If he takes office, he will become the Senate's most progressive member."[2]

Sanders defeated Republican Richard E. Tarrant 65% to 32% to win the seat. [3]

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. For specific controversies, see this article's record and controversies section.

Top Contributors to during the 2008 Election Cycle
DonorAmount (US Dollars)
United Steelworkers$ 10,550
American Federation of Teachers$ 10,200
American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees$ 10,000
Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union$ 10,000
National Community Action Foundation$ 10,000
Plumbers/Pipefitters Union$ 10,000
Searchlight Leadership Fund$ 10,000
Sheet Metal Workers Union$ 10,000
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers$ 8,500
Friends of Kent Conrad$ 8,000
Source: The Center for Responsive Politics' www.OpenSecrets.org site.
Note: Contributions are not from the organizations themselves, but are rather from
the organization's PAC, employees or owners. Totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.
Links to more campaign contribution information for Bernard Sanders
from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile: 2008 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation: 2008 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by industry: 2008 election cycle Career totals


Committees and Affiliations

Committees

Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

  • House Committee on Financial Services
    • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit - Ranking Minority Member
    • Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
    • Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy Trade and Technology
  • House Committee on Government Reform
    • Subcommittee on Criminal Justice Drug Policy and Human Resources
    • Subcommittee on National Security Emerging Threats and International Relations

Coalitions and Caucuses

  • Co-Chair, Congressional Child Care Caucus,108th Congress
  • Officer, Congressional Progressive Caucus, 108th Congress
  • National Guard and Reserve Components Organization
  • Co-Chair, Prescription Drug Task Force

Boards and other Affiliations

More Background Data

Wikipedia also has an article on Bernard Sanders. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

Contact

DC office
  • 332 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
    Ph: 202-224-5141 Fax: 202-228-0776
    Webform email
District offices
  • 36 Chickering Drive, Suite 103, Brattleboro, VT 05301
    Ph: 802-254-8732 Fax: (none entered)
  • 1 Church Street, 2nd Floor, Burlington, VT 05401
    Ph: 800-339-9834 Fax: (none entered)
  • 2 Spring St., Montpelier, VT 05602
    Ph: 802-223-2241 Fax: (none entered)
On the Web
Campaign office
  • No campaign website entered.
  • No campaign webform email entered.
  • No campaign office information entered.

Articles and resources

Resources

Local blogs and discussion sites

Articles

Books and articles by Bernie Sanders


Semantic data (Edit data)

Retrieved from "http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/Bernard_Sanders"
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