Bernie Sanders, 82, Will Seek Another 6-Year Senate Term, Calling His Service 'the Honor of My Life'

The independent Vermont senator announced his reelection bid on Monday, May 6, making the case for a fourth term despite his age

Bernie Sanders is running for another term in the U.S. Senate, which would keep him in office until the age of 89 if elected.

In a video posted to X on Monday, the 82-year-old Vermont senator announced that he will be seeking reelection in November as his current term comes to an end. In the video, Sanders said serving in the Senate thus far “has been the honor of my life.”

“I have been and will be, if reelected, in a strong position to provide the kind of help that Vermonters need in these difficult times,” he said at the beginning of the eight-minute-long clip, which emphasized that his senior committee assignments in the Senate give him a powerful voice for his constituents.

Noting that his primary goal — accessible healthcare — has seen progress in the past years, he said there is more for him to do, claiming that Vermont leads the nation in community health care centers, “but that is not enough.”

“In my view, the United States must join every other major country on Earth in guaranteeing health care to all of our people as a human right — not a privilege and not a fight,” said Sanders, one of three independents in the upper chamber.

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Sanders, a third-term senator who previously served eight terms in the House of Representatives, listed lowering the cost of prescription drugs, inhalers and insulin as some of the major changes he has helped make. He said this time around, he wants to target the bigger drug companies.

“We need to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and end the absurdity of Americans paying by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,” he proclaimed.

His next goal is to combat the climate crisis. Reflecting on the mass flooding across the state of Vermont last year, Sanders said he brought $62 million to the state to facilitate solar panel installment and more heat pumps.

“We must work with every country on Earth to cut carbon emissions and save the planet for our kids and future generations,” he continued.

He will also focus on combating those who want to privatize veterans facilities, promoting accessible housing and protecting women’s rights — including “codify[ing] Roe v. Wade into national law” — as well as ensuring free tuition to public universities and upholding social security and medicare benefits.

Related: Bernie Sanders Endorses Joe Biden's Reelection Campaign, Ruling Out 2024 Run of His Own

The final point Sanders touched on was the Israel-Gaza war. He reflected on Oct. 7, when 1,200 Israelis were killed in an attack by Hamas, and shared his opinion on U.S. tax dollars helping to fund Israel's offensives in Gaza, which have reportedly killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

“Israel had the absolute right to defend itself against this terrorist attack,” he began. “But it did not and does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people, which is exactly what it is doing.”

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To conclude, Sanders, who has endorsed Democratic incumbent Joe Biden for president, emphasized the national importance of the November 2024 election.

“These are very difficult times for our country and the world, and in many ways, this 2024 election is the most consequential election in our lifetimes,” he said. “Will the United States continue to even function as a democracy? Or will we move to an authoritarian form of government?”

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