Bernie Sanders In 2020? The Vermont Senator Could Be Laying The Groundwork For Another Run At The White House

Bernie Sanders is focusing on the four-year battle that could take place now that Republican Donald Trump has swept into the White House. However, there are growing signs that the Vermont Senator, who burst onto the national scene close to one year ago, could already have his eyes on 2020 and another run at the White House.

It was midway through 2015 that Sanders began to surge against Hillary Clinton as the Democratic primaries approached. His populist message found an enthusiastic audience, especially among young voters and those not normally engaged with the political system. Sanders went from polling in single-digits against Clinton to scoring a series of primary wins.

In the end, he was not able to defeat the Clinton machine, but it was his message of economic inequality and his focus on the working class that Donald Trump ended up using to win in the Rust Belt and ultimately decide the election.

In the days after the election ended, Sanders has already emerged as something of the chief critic against Donald Trump, vowing to bring a strong opposition to any policies that harm minorities.

“Many Democrats, and many progressives, are still recovering from the shock of Donald Trump’s election as a Republican president with a right-wing Republican Congress,” noted the Nation. “But Sanders has come out fighting: appearing at rallies, delivering speeches, and offering strategies for taking on Trump and Trumpism.”

Bernie Sanders vows to hold Donald Trump accountable for his campaign promises: https://t.co/1Qmoo4mcWD pic.twitter.com/mKeHvIifny

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 17, 2016

Sanders has also called on Donald Trump to fire Steve Bannon, the newly appointed White House chief strategist who was accused of promoting white nationalism as the head at the news site Breitbart.

Some are already identifying Bernie Sanders as one of the top candidates to hold down the Democratic Party ticket in 2020. The Boston Globe listed him among the 20 people most likely to take on Donald Trump in four years, noting his prowess with grassroots fundraising.

But it also noted what is likely the biggest weakness for Bernie Sanders to mount a presidential run in 2020 — his age.

“Sanders raised more money from small donors that anyone ever to run for president. He also won 23 states in the Democratic primary — especially remarkable given he was running against Clinton and he wasn’t even a Democrat. The downside: Sanders will be 79 on Election Day four years from now.”

Bernie Sanders has already distanced himself from the crushing loss Democrats suffered in the 2016 presidential election, saying he doesn’t feel responsible in any way for Hillary Clinton’s loss.

As NBC News reported, Sanders addressed that criticism during an appearance at George Washington University. When asked by Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne if his presence could have drawn voters away from Clinton, Sanders instead made a bold prediction.

“I say to those critics, number one, that you can argue the exact reverse, that maybe I would have been elected President of the United States,” he said to applause.

Bernie Sanders has also taken a larger role in shaping the future of the Democratic Party, even though he was re-elected to the Senate in Vermont as an independent and said he will remain independent at least until the end of his term. Sanders endorsed Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison as chair of the Democratic National Committee and said that the party needs to stand stronger against powerful special interests.

Bernie's speech tonight was #WednesdayWisdom! Also the rest of the days of the week. Thank God for @BernieSanders pic.twitter.com/gLOL5TOSQK

— RoseAnn DeMoro (@RoseAnnDeMoro) November 17, 2016

“If we can’t do that, I don’t see much of a future for the Democratic Party,” he said (via NBC News).

While there is plenty of speculation that Bernie Sanders could return in 2020 for another presidential run, the Vermont Senator has not yet given any direct indications of his intentions. But whatever he might decide to do, it seems clear that he will be taking on a much larger stature nationally going forward.

[Featured Image by Carlos Delgado/AP Images]