Bernard "Bernie" Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is an American politician. He is the Senior United States senator from Vermont. He is an Independent, but often votes with the Democratic Party in the Senate. He became senator on January 3, 2007. He ran for President of the United States in 2016 and in 2020, coming in second place both times. He is often seen as a leader of the progressivism movement in the United States.