Bernie Sanders launches his second presidential campaign

Sanders starts his campaign this time with increased visibility and a better organized support base, but rather than having a single favorite to fight, a dozen other candidates to call wide and often nested already embark on the candidacy. This includes up to half a dozen credible progressive candidates who, without being Sanders' social democrats, share many of his political priorities and political style. The primary domain will also be more racially diverse and, on average, younger. Less than two months into the year, five of his Senate colleagues are launching or exploring campaigns, including four of the six women in the race.

And although he joined the race earlier than he had done at this stage in 2015, Sanders' entry comes after about a dozen others, like Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, another progressive populist, who announced the formation of an exploratory committee. New Year's Eve and officially declared his candidacy 10 days ago. She quickly recruited the Sanders Caucus Director in Iowa 2016 and has already traveled to six key states and Puerto Rico.

Sanders has spent a lot of time in recent years spreading his message and developing relationships with like-minded leaders and activists on extensive travel across the country – with a particular eye on the states Trump won in 2016 – and through its digital operation without equal. Its core of supporters, even though its share of votes will likely decline in an overcrowded area, could be stubborn enough to lead to victories in some of the major, early-voting states. His media footprint and his ability to collect a large number of small donations should allow him to compete in California, whose primary is now well advanced in 2020, representing a new, costly challenge for candidates who have largely abandoned corporate donations and super PAC support.

"He never stopped," Nina Turner, a trusted advisor, told us in January. "He stays on the mission, people sometimes try to make him run away, but he's just there and he never hesitates, and it's a hard thing to do, to be the one pushing the vision even when it's not popular.It's easy to get on board when things are popular. "

But Sanders' growing influence has also demanded stricter control from political opponents, including a vocal faction within the Democratic Party that blames him for curbing support for Clinton before his defeat against Trump, the press and even some of his most dedicated lawyers.

In January, he was forced to publicly confront allegations of sexual harassment by staff during his 2016 campaign. Sanders apologized but, in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, stated that he was not aware of the misconduct at the time because he "was a little busy running across the country to try to argue his point of view" . The explanation fell flat and, a few days later, another report was released accusing a campaign officer of forcibly kissing a younger employee. When Sanders met a group of men and women who wrote a letter to his office detailing their experiences in 2016, he was, according to a former staff member present, "conciliatory" and opened his remarks with what he said. She described as "honest excuses."

Sanders' critics and allies will closely follow the composition of his first recruits, including his choice of campaign manager to replace Jeff Weaver, who led the series in 2016 and will remain in the position as senior advisor. An assistant told CNN in January that the process was already under way. There is also the question of whether progressive personalities such as the New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who volunteered for Sanders' 2016 campaign and who accompanied her at mid-term to campaign for the progressive hopes, will offer their public support. California representative Barbara Lee, one of the country's most respected progressive legislators, endorsed Senator Kamala Harris last week.

From the backbench to the front lines

Sanders' increased visibility has generated substantial gains for the left flank of the Democratic Party and – thanks to an unlikely alliance with a Republican – has helped to challenge the Trump Administration's policy in the Middle East. Along with Senator Mike Lee and Democratic Senator Chris Gop, Sanders received bipartisan support for a wartime resolution last year calling for an end to military support for the Saudi offensive in Yemen. His lobbying campaigns on big companies like Amazon have also resulted in a $ 15 minimum wage for workers and a promise by the company to support legislation that would increase it nationally.

"In recent years, he has gone further to work with his colleagues to demonstrate this effectiveness.This is his major asset at the substance level," said Democratic representative Ro Khanna, who led with successful campaign in favor of an equivalent resolution this year. the House.

The political principles underlying a second Sanders campaign are expected to be substantially the same as in 2015 and 2016. Nevertheless, it has begun in recent weeks to roll out or redefine proposals to tackle economic inequalities and strengthen programs such as social security. He also plans to re-introduce his Medicare project for all bills, in collaboration with Pramila Jayapal, Washington representative, who has been responsible for drafting and monitoring the bill that will bring it to the forefront. ;accompanied.

In the two weeks of January and February, Sanders announced its intention to purchase more than 50 years of social security stuffing by raising payroll taxes on incomes over $ 250,000 and increasing property taxes on property. Richest Americans – suggesting a maximum rate of 77% for billionaires. heirs

"Our bill is doing what the Americans want," Sanders said in a statement, "significantly increasing the inheritance tax of the country's wealthiest families and significantly reducing wealth inequality. From the moral, economic and political point of view our nation will not prosper so little have so much and so have so little. "