US Federal Government Directory › VT delegation › Bernard Sanders

Official portrait of Bernard Sanders

Bernard Sanders

Senator · VT · Senior Senator

IndependentRanking Member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsRanking Member, Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy

Raised $24,928,186 · 32.9M followers (office + personal) · missed 2.5% of votes

Top contributing industries: Labor Unions ($55,000), Health ($10,000), Transportation ($10,000), Education ($10,000), Leadership PAC ($5,000)

Bernard Sanders is an Independent U.S. Senator for Vermont. He has served 35.7 years in Congress and is up for reelection in 2030. He raised $24,928,186 in the 2026 cycle so far, has 32.9M followers across office and personal social accounts, sponsored 56 bills in the 119th Congress, scored 0.82 on the 118th Legislative Effectiveness Score.

Service
35.7 years in Congress
Current term
January 3, 2025 to January 3, 2031
Next election
2030
Born
September 8, 1941
Birthplace
Brooklyn
Residence
Burlington
Gender
Male
Religion
Jewish
Office
332 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Phone
202-224-5141
Bioguide ID
S000033

Background and career

Bernard Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is an American politician and activist serving as the senior United States senator from Vermont, a seat he has held since 2007. He is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history, but maintains a close relationship with the Democratic Party, having caucused with House and Senate Democrats for most of his congressional career and sought the party's presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020. Ideologically a democratic socialist, Sanders is regarded as one of the main leaders of the 21st-century American progressive movement.

Education

SchoolDegreeYearSource
University of ChicagoBA source

Career before Congress

RoleOrganizationYearsSource
CarpenterNot listed source

College athletics

Citizenship

citizen by birth in the United States.

Religion

Jewish (self-reported in Pew survey of Congress)

Name history and family

Children: 1 · Marriages: 2 · Counts reflect publicly documented information; a missing count means not documented, not zero.

Marital status: Married · Spouse: Jane O'Meara Sanders

Previously held offices

Campaign fundraising

Raised $8,207,886 in the 2024 cycle and $24,928,186 so far in the 2026 cycle (partial).

Top individual donors, 2024

NameEmployerOccupationCity/StateAmount
LAMORTE, CHARLESNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDPALM SPRINGS, CA$13,200
ROBY, DAVIDNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDLYME, NH$9,300
ADCOCK, DANIELNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDLUBBOCK, TX$7,250
WERY, SUSANNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDMILWAUKEE, WI$6,998
SIMONS, NATMERITAGE GROUP LPINVESTORBERKELEY, CA$6,600
FERNEYHOUGH, JAMESTA INSTRUMENTSMECHANICAL ENGINEERNEWARK, DE$5,400
HEATH, DAVID MNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDBENICIA, CA$4,500
SLABAUGH, MARVINKALONA VETERINARY CLINICVETERINARIANKALONA, IA$4,400
BRUCKNER, STEVENNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDPORTLAND, OR$4,389
FERRENZ, MARKNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDROSLINDALE, MA$4,008
PERETZ, ANNE LNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDCAMBRIDGE, MA$3,970
YU, KAIWENGOOGLESOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERSEATTLE, WA$3,300
ROBERT, TIMSELF EMPLOYEDMUSICIAN/INVESTORNEW YORK, NY$3,300
PHARES, JAMIEJANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALSMANAGING DIRECTORCREVE COEUR, MO$3,240
RICHERSON, PETERNOT EMPLOYEDRETIRED UC DAVISDAVIS, CA$3,166
CHUNG, BUMSUNGKENNEDY ACCESS GROUPPRESIDENTDULUTH, GA$3,070
DRAGGE, ROSEWILDER'S PREPARATORY ACADEMY CHARTER STEACHERHERMOSA BEACH, CA$3,027
CAWLEY, JOHNNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDBRISBANE, CA$3,000
SCRUGGS, THOMAS M JRSELF EMPLOYEDINVESTORBERKELEY, CA$2,900
ALPERN, HALENOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDNEW YORK, NY$2,835
RASTOGI, NINANOT EMPLOYEDTEACHERPORT TOWNSEND, WA$2,639
SAINTE-MARIE, BUFFYSELF EMPLOYEDSINGERLOS ANGELES, CA$2,603
SHUB, MICHAELCUNYPROFESSORNEW YORK, NY$2,600
GROE, RYANGOOGLESOFTWARE ENGINEERLOS ANGELES, CA$2,600
WAINEO, MARCUSNVIDIA CORPORATIONSOFTWARE ENGINEERASHBURN, VA$2,548

17,817 other donors gave a total of $3,240,882.

10 donor rows withheld pending verification.

Top individual donors, 2026 (partial)

NameEmployerOccupationCity/StateAmount
KRAHN, DOROTHYNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDCAMAS, WA$7,000
NELSON, CARLNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDCAMBRIDGE, MA$7,000
KNOX, PETERKNOX EQUITY LLCINVESTORAUGUSTA, GA$7,000
ROGERS, PETERNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDOREGON CITY, OR$7,000
COHN, MARTINNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDARLINGTON, MA$7,000
FELDMAN, ANNANOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDBROOKLYN, NY$7,000
BLINKOFF, SUSANNAHNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDPASADENA, CA$7,000
ROBINSON, LINCOLNNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDTORRANCE, CA$7,000
NUPEN, RIENALDYNOT EMPLOYEDACCOUNTANTIRVINE, CA$7,000
WELCH, LINDENNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDHUNTINGTOWN, MD$7,000
JACKREL, MADELYNNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDPACIFIC PALISADES, CA$7,000
SHAPIRO, EVANUSERNODE LABS AGCEOBERKELEY, CA$7,000
WRIGHT, KAYNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDSOUTH BURLINGTON, VT$6,977
JOHNSTON, ROBERTNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDPOINT REYES STATION, CA$6,900
BROWNE, JACKSONSELF EMPLOYEDMUSICIANSTUDIO CITY, CA$6,870
BALDWIN, NEILNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDHILLSBORO, OR$6,770
HOFFER, ERICDARTMOUTH HITCHCOCKPHYSICIANHANOVER, NH$6,740
MCINTOSH, MARYNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDMARCO ISLAND, FL$6,580
TATAR, DEBORAHNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDWALNUT CREEK, CA$6,500
CAWLEY, JOHNNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDBRISBANE, CA$6,000
LIU, ALLENNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDSARATOGA, CA$6,000
GATEWOOD, LEONORANOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDCHICAGO, IL$6,000
WAINEO, MARCUSNVIDIA CORPORATIONSOFTWARE ENGINEERASHBURN, VA$6,000
HALL, CAROLNOT EMPLOYEDNOT EMPLOYEDVASHON, WA$6,000
KIRKMAN, SONIASELF EMPLOYEDBUSINESS OWNERENCINO, CA$6,000

20,120 other donors gave a total of $6,282,894.

44 donor rows withheld pending verification.

PAC and party committee contributors over $5,000, 2024

CommitteeTypeIndustryAmount
MACHINISTS NON PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS & AEROSPACE WORKERSPACLabor Unions$5,000
MACHINISTS NON PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS & AEROSPACE WORKERSPACLabor Unions$5,000
SEIU COPE (SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION)PACLabor Unions$5,000
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES P E O P L EPACLabor Unions$5,000
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS OF U.S.A. POLITICAL FUND (LETTER CARRIER POLITICAL FUND)PACLabor Unions$5,000
NATIONAL UNION OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS FEDERAL COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATIONPACHealth$5,000
D.R.I.V.E. - DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN, INDEPENDENT VOTER EDUCATION (THE PAC OF THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS)PACLabor Unions$5,000
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION PACPACTransportation$5,000
TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION OF AMERICA POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEEPACLabor Unions$5,000
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION PACPACTransportation$5,000
UNITED FOOD AND COMMERCIAL WORKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION ACTIVE BALLOT CLUBPACLabor Unions$5,000
UNITED FOOD AND COMMERCIAL WORKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION ACTIVE BALLOT CLUBPACLabor Unions$5,000
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS OF U.S.A. POLITICAL FUND (LETTER CARRIER POLITICAL FUND)PACLabor Unions$5,000
NEA FUND FOR CHILDREN AND PUBLIC EDUCATIONPACEducation$5,000
NEA FUND FOR CHILDREN AND PUBLIC EDUCATIONPACEducation$5,000
COURAGE TO CHANGELeadership PACLeadership PAC$5,000
TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION OF AMERICA POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEEPACLabor Unions$5,000
NATIONAL NURSES UNITED PAC - A FUND FOR A HEALTHY AMERICAPACHealth$5,000
AKSM UROLOGY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 'AKSM UROLOGY PAC'PACnot mapped$5,000

Gross receipts from FEC filings, not net of refunds. Industry mappings are the directory's own classification; see methodology.

Outside money

2024

Leadership PAC: PROGRESSIVE VOTERS OF AMERICA. No donors met the reporting thresholds.

2026 (partial)

Leadership PAC: PROGRESSIVE VOTERS OF AMERICA. No donors met the reporting thresholds.

Independent expenditures are reported to the FEC by the spending committee, not the member's campaign. A committee is marked single-candidate when 80% or more of its cycle independent-expenditure dollars concern one candidate. Donors are named only at $50,000 or more to a super PAC or joint fundraising committee. For leadership PACs, individuals are named at $50,000 or more; organizations and PACs at $5,000 or more. The 2026 cycle is still in progress.

Amounts are each donor's net total of itemized contributions across the cycle (primary, general, and runoff elections combined), after subtracting refunds, not single gifts. Receipts marked as received in error, returned, or refunded are excluded, and refunds to the donor are subtracted. Joint-fundraising shares are included: the member committee's itemized share of joint-fundraising proceeds (FEC transaction type 15J) counts toward the donor's total, while the joint fundraising committee's own transfers are not counted separately. Donors are named only when their net cycle total is $1,000 or more; smaller donors appear only in the aggregate count and total below each table. Where a returned receipt of $10,000 or more affects a total, it is noted below the table. Lists cover itemized individual gifts to the member's principal campaign committee only. Employer and occupation are self-reported. The 2026 cycle is still in progress.

Donor figures are net of refunds from the FEC individual-contribution bulk files (2024 and 2026 cycles, each itemization taken at its latest amended version before any exclusion), rebuilt and reconciled row by row against the previous release on 2026-10-02; see methodology for the method and the reconciliation counts.

Money and finances

Estimated net worth

at least $162,029 (Annual Report for CY 2025 (filed 08/13/2026)). Earliest on record (2013): at least -$958,970. disclosure

Estimates are summed from ranges reported on financial disclosures, so they are approximate. Ranges are wide by design.

Stock trades (last 12 months)

0 trades, estimated volume No trades. As of 2026-09-26. Quiver

STOCK Act disclosures cover the member, spouse, and dependent children, and report amounts as ranges, so volumes are estimates. Null records mean data was not retrieved, never zero trades.

Top assets

AssetTypeValueOwner
VALIC Fixed Account Plusmutual fund$100K-$250KSpouse
U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union(Washington, DC)Type: Checking, Savingsbank deposit$100K-$250KJoint
North Country Federal Credit Union(Burlington, VT)Type: Certificate of Deposit, Checking, Money Market Account, Savingsbank deposit$100K-$250KSpouse
CREF Growth Account - R1mutual fund$50K-$100KSpouse
TIAA Traditional AnnuityProvider: TIAA-CREFannuity$50K-$100KSpouse
VALIC Socially Responsiblemutual fund$50K-$100KSpouse
United States Congressional Credit Union(Washington, DC)Type: Certificate of Deposit, Checking, Savingsbank deposit$50K-$100KJoint
CREF Stock Account - R1mutual fund$15K-$50KSpouse
CREF Global Equities Accountmutual fund$15K-$50KSpouse
TIAA-CREF Real Estate Sec Instlmutual fund$15K-$50KSpouse

Earmark requests (FY2026)

Total requested: $133,222,000 (showing 15 of 54)

ProjectRecipientSubcommitteeRequestedIn House bill
With this funding, Deerfield Valley Rescue Inc. will purchase new communications equipment for members and employees to improve responses to requests for help.Deerfield Valley Rescue Inc.Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration$30,000No
With this funding, Hardwick Emergency Rescue Squad Inc. will construct a new station.Hardwick Emergency Rescue Squad Inc.Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration$2,000,000No
With this funding, Twin Valley Seniors Inc. will repair the Twin Valley Senior Center parking lot, making it safer for visitors and providing greater accessibility to their in-house services.Twin Valley Seniors Inc.Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration$38,000No
With this funding, Underhill Jericho Fire Department Inc. will purchase and install equipment to enhance their emergency communication capabilities.Underhill Jericho Fire Department Inc.Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration$1,077,000No
With this funding, the Capital Fire Mutual Aid Association will replace communications equipment to ensure reliable emergency communications in Washington County.Capital Fire Mutual Aid AssociationAgriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration$3,808,000No
With this funding, the Chester Andover Family Center will expand their food shelf to provide additional space for shelving and shopping.Chester Andover Family CenterAgriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration$75,000No
With this funding, the Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation will expand the Orange County Parent Child Center Randolph by renovating the vacant lower level, creating additional childcare slots.Green Mountain Economic Development CorporationAgriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration$1,425,000No
With this funding, the Lyndon Institute will create an innovation center, housing a public creative maker space and a career and technical education center.Lyndon InstituteAgriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration$1,500,000No
With this funding, the Southern Vermont Health and Recreation Center Foundation Inc. will construct an addition to the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center, creating space for community health programming and new childcare slots.Southern Vermont Health and Recreation Center Foundation Inc.Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration$1,500,000No
With this funding, the Town of Newark will construct new, modern, and safe facilities for the Town of Newark Highway Department and the Newark Volunteer Fire Department.Town of NewarkAgriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration$1,500,000No
With this funding, Vermont Legal Aid (VLA) will expand and enhance its work to ensure victims receive adequate support and services.Vermont Legal AidCommerce, Justice, Science$385,000No
With this funding, Vermont Legal Aid will create a mobile legal clinic to bring their services to people in communities across the state.Vermont Legal AidCommerce, Justice, Science$1,999,000No
With this funding, the Community College of Vermont will expand the Corrections Post-Secondary Education Initiative.The Community College of VermontCommerce, Justice, Science$1,000,000No
With this funding, the State of Vermont Department of Public Safety will upgrade its current aging communications equipment with more secure and effective equipment in order to improve public safety.State of Vermont Department of Public SafetyCommerce, Justice, Science$2,000,000No
With the requested funding, Vermont Electric Cooperative will purchase and install advanced electric metering infrastructure.Vermont Electric CooperativeEnergy and Water Development$9,000,000No

Requests are not necessarily funded. Amounts shown are requested, not awarded.

Influence in Congress

Legislative effectiveness

0.82 on the 118th Legislative Effectiveness Score (Senate). thelawmakers.org

Bipartisanship

Lugar Bipartisan Index: -1.23, ranked #91 (118th (first session, 2023)) Lugar Center

Ideology

DW-NOMINATE first dimension: -0.546 (liberal end of the scale), chamber rank #3 of the 119th Congress. Voteview

Interest group ratings

GroupRatingScorecard year
NRANot available2026
LCV942025
AFL-CIO1002025
Club for Growth122025
Planned Parenthood1002025
ACU32025

Bills enacted

0 sponsored bills enacted into law in the 119th Congress.

2026 election

District lean

Cook Partisan Voting Index (2025): D+17. Last election margin: 31.09 points (2024). Cook PVI

2026 election

Seat not up for election in 2026.

Notable family

NameRelationshipNotable asSource
Carina Driscolldaughtermember of the Vermont House of Representativesnot listed
Jane O'Meara Sandersspousenot listed
Elias Sandersfathernot listed
Larry Sandersbrotherpoliticiannot listed

Notable relatives found through systematic public-records searches (~2 queries per member). Absence of a listing means nothing notable was found under this methodology, not that no notable family exists.

Voting record (2026)

244 roll-call votes in 2026 · missed 2.5% · party unity 94.1

DateMeasureQuestionPosition
2026-01-08S.J.Res. 98On the Motion to DischargeYea
2026-01-15H.R. 6938On Passage of the BillNay
2026-01-30H.R. 7148On Passage of the BillNay
2026-02-12H.J.Res. 142On the Joint ResolutionNay
2026-03-12H.R. 6644On Passage of the BillYea
2026-03-23PN858On the NominationNay
2026-04-16H.J.Res. 140On the Joint ResolutionNay
2026-04-23S.Con.Res. 33On the Concurrent ResolutionNay
2026-05-13PN855-1On the NominationNay
2026-06-04Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Graham Amdt. No. 5779On the MotionNay
2026-06-05S. 2On Passage of the BillNay
2026-06-23H.Con.Res. 86On the Concurrent ResolutionYea
2026-07-28PN1092On the NominationNay
2026-08-05PN932On the NominationNay
2026-08-07H.R. 5334On Passage of the BillNay
2026-08-08H.R. 6500On Passage of the BillNay
2026-08-08PN1078On the NominationNay
2026-09-24H.Con.Res. 89On the Concurrent ResolutionYea

Legislation

Sponsored 56 bills and cosponsored 470 bills in the 119th Congress.

BillTitleStatus
S. 5026Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act of 2026Ordered Reported
S. 38110 Percent Credit Card Interest Rate Cap ActIntroduced
S.J.Res. 20A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed foreign military sale to Israel of certain defense articles and services.Introduced
S.J.Res. 22A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed foreign military sale to Israel of certain defense articles and services.Introduced
S.J.Res. 23A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed license amendment for the export to Israel of certain defense articles and services.Introduced

Latest statements

Latest official press releases and statements from the member's official site. This section requires periodic refresh; always check the source site for the newest items.

Social following

PlatformOffice accountPersonal account
X@SenSanders (11.6M)not found
Instagram@sensanders (2.6M)@berniesanders (9.0M)
Facebook@senatorsanders (8.4M)not found
YouTube@senatorsanders (1.3M)not found
LinkedInnot foundnot found
Threadsnot foundnot found
TikToknot foundnot found

Office total: 24.0M · Personal total: 9.0M · Combined: 32.9M

Collected 2026-09-29. Office accounts are the member's official congressional accounts; personal accounts are their own campaign/personal accounts. Totals sum only accounts with a retrieved count and are never zero-filled. X counts are approximate (logged-out page variance). A missing account means none was verified, not that none exists.

Committee assignments

CommitteeRole
Senate Committee on Environment and Public WorksMember
Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory OversightMember
Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and SafetyMember
Fisheries, Water, and WildlifeMember
Senate Committee on FinanceMember
Health CareMember
Social Security, Pensions, and Family PolicyRanking Member
Taxation and IRS OversightMember
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsRanking Member
Education and the American FamilyEx Officio
Employment and Workplace SafetyEx Officio
Primary Health and Retirement SecurityEx Officio
Senate Committee on the BudgetMember
Senate Committee on Veterans' AffairsMember

Caucus memberships

Only documented caucus memberships are listed; memberships are never inferred.

Staff

Chief of staff

Misty J Rebik · (202) 224-5141

Communications director

Anna G Bahr · (202) 224-5141

Staff data from House and Senate payroll filings; roles can change and filings can lag.

Offices

Washington, D.C. office

332 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5141

District/state offices

CityAddressPhone
Burlington1 Church St., 3rd Floor, Burlington, VT 05401(802) 862-0697

Connections

Connected toTypeDetail
Ro KhannaSame schoolUniversity of Chicago
Amy KlobucharSame schoolUniversity of Chicago
Pete RickettsSame schoolUniversity of Chicago

Connections are derived from documented public records: family ties, shared schools, shared employers, fraternities and sororities, and staff career histories. Committee ties are excluded here and shown on committee pages.

Profile compiled 2026-10-03 from House Clerk, Senate, FEC, GovTrack, and Wikidata records. Enrichment collected September 2026; campaign finance from the FEC bulk files of October 2026. See methodology.