Bernie Sanders Enters 2020 Presidential Race

Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has announced his 2020 candidacy, with the stated goal of aiming to take on both President Trump and the Democratic establishment.

Sanders, who won over 1,800 delegates and captured 43 percent of the Democratic Party vote in 2016, announced his candidacy in an email to supporters this morning.

“Brothers and Sisters,” Sanders writes. “I have decided to run for president of the United States.”

Sanders goes on to promise “an unprecedented and historic grassroots campaign” that will “begin with at least a million people from across the country.”

He writes about “running against a president who is a pathological liar, a fraud, a racist, a sexist, a xenophobe and someone who is undermining American democracy,” adding that Trump is leading us “in an authoritarian direction.”

The Senator is expected to have a busy schedule of events in the next weeks to help introduce key themes of this campaign.

“They may have the money and power,” he writes. “We have the people.”

A Yahoo! report from earlier this year suggesting Sanders would “imminently” announce his 2020 run inspired outrage on social media. On Twitter, the #NeverBernie hashtag started trending almost immediately.

Among Hollywood celebrities who had previously endorsed a Sanders presidency are Dick Van Dyke, George Wendt, Wil Wheaton, Kristen Wiig, Jon Lovitz, Bill Maher, Kevin Nealon, Patton Oswalt, Carl Reiner and Elijah Wood.