Vermont Senator and 2016 Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is laying the groundwork for another presidential run senior Democratic officials have reported.
Sanders, a self-described social democrat and one of the Senate’s two registered independents, challenged former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2016.
While initially considered a marginal candidate, Sanders won more than 43% of Democratic primary votes nationwide, and garnered 1,865 Democratic National Convention delegates.
Despite his age – Sanders turned 76 last September, and will be 79 on Election Day, 2020 – senior Democratic officials told Politico Thursday that the firebrand senator is seriously considering a second run for the White House.
According to a report by Politico which cited six unnamed party officials, Sanders gathered top advisers in Washington over the weekend to begin work on a future presidential bid.
While Sanders is reportedly undecided as of yet if he will run in 2020, sources with direct knowledge of the gathering say he wants to begin work on his campaign now in case he does choose to seek the nomination.
Sanders, who began the 2016 election cycle as the underdog, has topped polls of the 2020 Democratic field, and has made numerous visits to early caucus and primary states including New Hampshire and Iowa during 2017, often seen as an indication of a planned presidential bid.