Sen. Bernard Sanders, better known as Bernie Sanders, will be seeking his fourth term in the Senate this election cycle. In light of his rapid ascension to political fame following his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, Sanders has left an indelible mark upon American politics — and, it seems, the Middlebury student body.
To some, he’s a boundary pusher. To others, simultaneously an octogenarian and an icon for Gen Z. An institution of the Green Mountain State, even, to some native Vermonters.
“He’s an important figure but he’s aging too much and needs to retire,” said Malachi Shiffer-Delegard ’26.
Anna Armstrong ’28 agreed with Shiffer-Delegard, pointing out his age.
“I think he’s a little too old at this point,” Armstrong said.
Sanders is running against Republican Gerald Malloy this year. Malloy, an Army veteran and former defense contractor, has emphasized unity and his ability to contribute something new for Vermonters in his campaign statements. The Republican candidate previously ran unsuccessfully in the 2022 General Election against Democrat Peter Welch.
Sanders held his first office in 1981 when he was elected as the mayor of Burlington, where he served three terms before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990. Sanders held the position until 2006, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He has been reelected twice and is now campaigning for a fourth term in the upcoming election. Sanders has also made considerable attempts to gain the Democratic presidential nomination in the past two Democratic primary cycles, in which he finished second behind Hillary Clinton and then Joe Biden, respectively.
There is merit to the concerns about Sanders’ age. Sanders is 83 years old and has been a member of the Senate before some current Middlebury students were even born. Were Sanders to win reelection, he would be 89 by the end of his term.
Concerns about candidates’ ages have been a prominent theme this election season, with the most notable outcry coming after Biden’s especially poor performance in the first presidential debate between him and former President Donald Trump in late June. Many onlookers attributed this performance to his 81 years of age.
How Bernie responds to the uncertainty about his own age remains to be seen, but regardless, his unique character and popular culture image are clear assets in his bid for reelection.
Whether described as a “meme,” “celebrity” or just a “funny guy,” another common sentiment students seemed to share about Bernie was his prominence of character. For most, the mention of his name evokes the famous image of Sanders sitting at President Biden’s inauguration, bundled up and in a mask, arms and legs folded, wearing now-famous knitted mittens. Some recalled the slightly older meme taken from a campaign advertisement, in which Sanders makes the famous request: “I am once again asking for your financial support.”
Others just view Sanders as the quintessential Vermont senator, a man who had his own Ben & Jerry’s flavor and once lived in a town of less than 100 residents in the Northeast Kingdom. Regardless of one’s view of Bernie, it is clear that he has etched out a distinct reputation in both statewide and national politics.
However, Sanders’ presence in popular culture has shifted the focus away from his politics. Few students mentioned his policies as a senator, and even fewer were aware of his previous tenure as Mayor of Burlington and Vermont’s U.S. Representative. Nevertheless, most acknowledged his progressive ideology and the difficulty Sanders faces in reaching Americans as an independent who identifies as a democratic socialist.
“He’s not gonna get his goals, but he can push the boundaries,” Ben Conigliaro ’26 said. “[Sanders has kept] both left and right honest on where they stand.”
This reflects the realities of being an independent, progressive politician like Sanders. He is often grouped with the Democrats on the national scale, but within the party, his legacy primarily consists of his progressive influence and ability to nudge the party’s ideology further left.
Regardless of the balance between age concerns, popular culture connotations, or policy success, however, the odds are heavily in Bernie’s favor this November. Professor of Political Science Matthew Dickinson emphasized the historical advantage incumbents have in senatorial races, explaining that “roughly 85% of incumbents who run for reelection win.”
“It's particularly hard to defeat one who is as popular as Sanders is, in a state that is so disproportionately leaning in one direction. So [Malloy] has his work cut out for him," Dickinson added.
