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Bernie Sanders

Senator, VT · Independent · Vermont

Bernie Sanders is a U.S. Senator from Vermont known for small-dollar fundraising and consistent progressive voting.

Profile last updated Jul 8, 2026 · Center Field Politics

Scout's Report

A long-tenured senator with exceptionally high consistency between stated platform and voting record, and a high volume of legislative initiative.

Core Strength

Very high promise fulfillment and vote attendance.

Core Weakness

Introduces many bills, but many do not become law.

Recent Action

Introduced healthcare and labor legislation this session.

Key Metrics

Attendance
98%

Roll-call vote participation in current session.

Initiative
41

Bills introduced this session (activity, not quality).

Documented Controversies
0

No official ethics findings or court records on file.

Funding Secured
$510M

Appropriations and grants directed to Vermont (absolute).

Outside Influence
Low

Derived from PAC and outside-spending share of campaign funding.

Where They Stand

Stances on the issues many voters care most about. Where a candidate has not given a clear answer we mark it "Mixed / Partial" or "Unclear" rather than guess. Positions are drawn from official records and bias-labeled news sources; they are descriptive only and are never scored.

Environment—Supports1

Climate protections and regulation versus fewer climate-related regulations on industry.

Lead sponsor of Green New Deal legislation and aggressive emissions-reduction and clean-energy investment.

High Confidence

Healthcare—Supports12

Expanding healthcare coverage for all versus expanding market-based, private insurance.

Author and lead champion of Medicare for All — a single-payer system covering all Americans.

High Confidence

Second Amendment—Supports2

New firearm regulations versus no new firearm regulations.

Backs universal background checks, an assault-weapons ban, and red-flag laws.

High Confidence

Immigration—Supports14

Pathways to citizenship versus a closed-border approach.

Supports a path to citizenship and comprehensive immigration reform; opposes mass deportation.

High Confidence

Roe v. Wade—Supports2

Protecting access to abortion versus restricting access to abortion.

Supports codifying Roe v. Wade and protecting abortion access nationwide.

High Confidence

National Security—Opposes6

Whether diplomacy or military strength should be the primary national-security priority.

Introduced the "No War Against Iran Act" and argues U.S. military action without congressional authorization is unconstitutional.

High Confidence

Campaign Funding

Raised $8.8M for the 2024 cycle. Outside influence read: low; opacity proxy 0%.

Total raised (cycle 2024): $8,760,201 · Outside influence: Low

Estimated Net Worth

Most recent estimate: $2M-$3M

Year-over-year change cannot be computed until additional disclosure years are added to this profile.

Party Loyalty

Caucuses with Democrats; near-uniform alignment on progressive priorities.

Although his current voting record is highly party-aligned, across a long career he has cut deals with Republicans — most notably bipartisan veterans’ healthcare reform — and has found common cause with libertarians on Fed transparency and war-powers limits.

Sources

  1. Congress.gov — Sponsored & Cosponsored Legislation
  2. GovTrack.us — Bernie Sanders voting record & missed votes
  3. OpenSecrets — Donor Industries
  4. Reuters — Senate coverage
  5. VTDigger — Vermont reporting
  6. Sen. Sanders — "America must not go to war with Iran" + No War Against Iran Act
  7. Congress.gov — Veterans Affairs reform (Sanders–McCain, 2014)
  8. National Review — Coverage of Sanders spending proposals
  9. Fox News — Coverage of Medicare for All cost estimates
  10. FEC — Campaign finance (2023–2024 cycle (through Dec 31, 2024))
  11. OpenSecrets — Personal finances (federal disclosures)
  12. Congress.gov — H.R. 3230, Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act
  13. Congress.gov — Senate vote record, S. 2450 (113th Congress)
  14. NPR — VA Choice program oversight and cost concerns
  15. Congress.gov — S. 1129, Medicare for All Act of 2019
  16. Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget — Medicare for All cost analysis
  17. Congress.gov — H.R. 5376, Inflation Reduction Act
  18. Reuters — Sanders and progressives on IRA compromise
  19. Wall Street Journal — Republican criticism of Inflation Reduction Act
  20. Wikipedia — Bernie Sanders
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