You probably know who Bernie Sanders is thanks to the upcoming presidential elections, but how much do you really know about him? The 74-year-old has been around the block a few times and has been involved in politics for a very long time as well. However, despite the fact that Sanders has spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight and under the scrutiny of the public eye, there are still some things that many people don’t know. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Bernie Sanders. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: He Won His Second Term in the Senate With 71 Percent of the Vote. Sanders won his second Senate term in 2012. He won the vote with an impressive 71 percent majority; however, his first bid for the U.S. Senate in 1972 earned him just one percent of the vote.
Number Fourteen: He Was Only the Third Socialist Elected to Congress. And he is the longest-serving “independent’ in American history. Sanders served 16 years in the House before he was elected to the Senate in 2006.
Number Thirteen: He Was Born in Brooklyn. Sanders was born in Brooklyn, and Brooklyn is also where he went to high school and college (he attended Brooklyn College for one year). However, Sanders then transferred to the University of Chicago, where he graduated with a degree in political science. He then moved to Vermont in 1964.
Number Twelve: He Marched for Civil Rights. When Sanders was in college, he was an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. As part of the group, he belonged to another contingent of students who took a bus from Chicago to Washington to take part in the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom.
Number Eleven: He Won the Position of Mayor by 10 Votes. Sanders was elected the mayor of Burlington, Vermont in 1981. He won the election by just 10 votes.
Number Ten: He Has Some Serious Stamina. On one occasion, Sanders spoke on the Senate floor for eight consecutive hours! He did so in 2010 when he was attempting to “undo” what he considered tax breaks for wealthy people.
Number Nine: He Has 18 Priorities. According to his Senate website, Sanders has 18 priorities. His priorities include campaign finance, dental care, and “war and peace.”