Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will announce his run for president Thursday.
“I’ve been traveling around the country for the last year trying to ascertain whether there really is grass-roots support in terms of people standing up and being prepared to take on the billionaire class,” he told USA Today Wednesday. “I believe that there is.”
Sanders, an independent senator and self-described Democratic socialist, is known for being a fiercely progressive politician, fighting for tax hikes on the wealthy and opportunity for the middle class and poor.
He’s often railed against corporate America on the Senate floor, notably Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein. He knows he has an uphill climb against the heavy favorite on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton.
“I am running in this election to win,” he said. “We’ve got a long path forward. Most people in America have never heard of Bernie Sanders. More than 90% of Americans have heard of Hillary Clinton … I will absolutely be out-spent. But I do believe we have a chance to raise significant amounts of money through small, individual contributions.”
Sanders will surely create some great sound bites for the media in speeches where he mentions Clinton’s record on economic issues as well as during Democratic primary debates. Political pundits think his entrance into the race will pull Clinton to the political left in the primary.