Bernie Sanders Says New Senate Term Will Likely Be His Last

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At 83, the Vermont lawmaker continues to push for Democrats to regroup after the November losses by appealing more to working-class Americans.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the longtime progressive lawmaker who has twice sought the Democratic presidential nomination, suggested that the six-year Senate term he begins in January will likely be his last.

“I’m 83 now. I’ll be 89 when I get out of here. You can do the figuring. I don’t know, but I would assume, probably, yes,” the independent senator from Vermont—who caucuses with Democrats—told Politico when asked if the upcoming term would be his last.

His comments come after he won reelection in November and has spent decades pushing progressive politics into the national debate in areas such as economic inequality and health care access. He has served in Congress since 1991 and in the Senate since 2007.

Sanders has long argued that Democratic leaders have failed to fully address the economic concerns of working-class Americans.

“The average American is hurting,” he said in the Politico interview. “You’ve got to recognize the reality of what’s going on. And I’m not sure that enough Democrats are doing that.”

Sanders frequently has pointed to what he views as a disconnect between the party’s rhetoric and the everyday struggles faced by his constituents.

He has called upon Democrats to be more effective in championing issues including health care affordability and economic fairness.

While his influence within the Senate’s Progressive Caucus remains notable—“Dozens of them are extreme progressives who share my perspectives,” he said—Sanders acknowledges that not everyone within that coalition fully embraces his vision.

“Some do and some don’t,” he said, underscoring the ideological range that now exists in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

Sanders, speaking of his priorities, pointed to stagnant wages, persistent income inequality, and high prescription drug costs as issues that resonate powerfully across racial and geographic lines.

“We are the only major country on earth that doesn’t guarantee health care to all of its people,” he said in the interview, saying that the United States pays “the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs” and that his “vision is pretty clear as to where we have to go.”

Following November’s loss by Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris to Republican President-elect Donald Trump, and the GOP’s capture of both houses of Congress, Sanders said that the Democratic Party must undergo a serious internal realignment if it hopes to regain the trust of working-class voters.

Sanders didn’t mince words in his post-election criticism of the party. He accused Democrats of “[abandoning] working-class people” and said that because of that, “the working class has abandoned them.”

Shortly after those comments, Sanders said he was open to working with Trump and his incoming administration on certain issues.

“I look forward to working with the Trump Administration on fulfilling his promise to cap credit card interest rates at 10 [percent],” the senator wrote in a Nov. 15 post on social media.

Andrew Moran and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.