Progressive icon Bernie Sanders, 83, hinted this week that his next term in the Senate may be his last.
“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 Vermont independent told Politico when asked if his upcoming term would be his final one.
Sanders, a popular contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020, was easily reelected to a fourth six-year term last month. He was first elected to the Senate in 2006 after spending 16 years in the House.
Sanders caucuses with Senate Democrats but runs for office without a party affiliation. He co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which now has more than 100 members.
Democracy In The Balance
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He was sharply critical of the Democratic Party after this year’s election, arguing that they didn’t focus enough on economic issues like inflation.
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working-class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sanders said after the election.
Sanders is the chamber’s second oldest member behind Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, 91. He’s closest in age to outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who turns 83 in February and who sprained his wrist in a fall Tuesday.