Sen. Bernie Sanders Confirms 2020 Presidential Run | HuffPost Latest News

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is taking another crack at the White House, telling Vermont Public Radio that he will run for president again in 2020.

I wanted to let the people of the state of Vermont know about this first, Sanders told VPRs Bob Kinzel on Tuesday.

He also made the announcement in an email to supporters later that morning.

I have decided to run for president of the United States, Sanders wrote in a version of the email provided to HuffPost on Monday. I am asking you today to join me as part of an unprecedented and historic grassroots campaign.

The independent senator, who caucuses with the Democrats and battled Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, had long hinted he would make another run but said that he would step aside if a better candidate came forward to defeat President Donald Trump .

I'm running for president. I am asking you to join me today as part of an unprecedented and historic grassroots campaign that will begin with at least 1 million people from across the country. Say you're in: https://t.co/KOTx0WZqRf pic.twitter.com/T1TLH0rm26

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I'm running for president. I am asking you to join me today as part of an unprecedented and historic grassroots campaign that will begin with at least 1 million people from across the country. Say you're in: https://t.co/KOTx0WZqRf pic.twitter.com/T1TLH0rm26
Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 19, 2019

Tuesday morning, it was clear Sanders has decided he is the best person for the job.

Together, you and I and our 2016 campaign began the political revolution. Now, it is time to complete that revolution and implement the vision that we fought for, he wrote.

Asked what would be different from his 2016 run during an interview on CBS This Morning that aired Tuesday morning, Sanders said: Were going to win.

It is absolutely imperative that Donald Trump be defeated because I think it is unacceptable and un-American to be frank with you that we have a president who is a pathological liar, and it gives me no pleasure to say that, but its true, he said. We have a president who is a racist, who is a sexist, who is a xenophobe.

He promised that his second presidential bid would be a continuation of what we did in 2016, noting that many of his progressive policy proposals are now part of the political mainstream.

It is absolutely imperative that Donald Trump be defeated, because I think it is unacceptable and un-American, to be frank with you, that we have a president who is a pathological liar and it gives me no pleasure to say that, but it's true. -- Sen. @BernieSanders tells @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/eiez4UJ6Lk

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It is absolutely imperative that Donald Trump be defeated, because I think it is unacceptable and un-American, to be frank with you, that we have a president who is a pathological liar and it gives me no pleasure to say that, but it's true. -- Sen. @BernieSanders tells @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/eiez4UJ6Lk
CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) February 19, 2019

Sanders has long been known as one of the most progressive members of the Senate. A self-described democratic socialist, his platform calls for Medicare for all and a $15 minimum wage. He has also advocated for free tuition at public colleges and universities, lowering the costs of prescription drugs and placing heightened attention on climate change .

In his email, Sanders directly credited his supporters with shifting the Democratic Party toward a more progressive message since the 2016 election.

Three years ago, during our 2016 campaign, when we brought forth our progressive agenda we were told that our ideas were radical, and extreme, he wrote. We were told that Medicare for All, a $15 an hour minimum wage, free tuition at public colleges and universities, aggressively combating climate change, demanding that the wealthy start paying their fair share of taxes, were all concepts that the American people would never accept.

Well, three years have come and gone, he continued. And, as a result of millions of Americans standing up and fighting back, all of these policies and more are now supported by a majority of Americans.

Kayleigh McEnany, the national press secretary for Trumps re-election campaign, also noted Sanders influence on the Democratic Party in a statement.

Bernie Sanders has already won the debate in the Democrat primary, because every candidate is embracing his brand of socialism, McEnany said in part.

Sanders won re-election to the Senate for a third term in November, taking more than 67 percent of the vote. That same month, he said he was considering a second White House run, but he told panelists on ABCs The View that his primary objective was to defeat Trump, even if that meant the Democrats ran someone else.

There are other great candidates out there, many of them personal friends of mine, Sanders said during the November interview. But what I think is most important right now is that Trump be defeated ... and that we as a nation come together respectfully.