Hillary Clinton just got some major competition. While the former First Lady has been the presumed front-runner for the 2016 presidential election for weeks if not months, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced in an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, April 30, that he is running as a Democrat as well.
The longtime Independent politician is focusing on income inequality, campaign finance reform, and wider access to higher education as he readies his campaign.
"What we have seen is that while the average person is working longer hours for lower wages, we have seen a huge increase in income and wealth inequality, which is now reaching obscene levels," Sanders, 73, told the AP. "This is a rigged economy, which works for the rich and the powerful, and is not working for ordinary Americans… You know, this country just does not belong to a handful of billionaires."
"People should not underestimate me," he continued. "I've run outside of the two-party system, defeating Democrats and Republicans, taking on big-money candidates and, you know, I think the message that has resonated in Vermont is a message that can resonate all over this country."
Hugely popular in his adopted state of Vermont, the Brooklyn native won his 2012 senatorial election with 71 percent of the vote, decidedly beating his Republican competitor, John MacGovern.
Sanders will see tough competition in Clinton, 67, as well as the declared Republican hopefuls. Other politicians who are throwing their hats in the ring include Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Rand Paul, and Senator Marco Rubio.
