Sen. Bernie Sanders announces bid for re-election to fourth Senate term

May 6 (UPI) -- Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday announced that he plans to run for re-election to the Senate.

Sanders, I-Vt., announced his intention to run again in a social media post, saying "it has been the honor of my life" to serve his first three terms in the Senate.

"In recent years working together, we have made important progress in addressing some very serious challenges but much, much more needs to be done if we are to become the state and nation our people deserve," Sanders said in a video statement.

"Together, we have made Vermont the leading state in the country in terms of capita utilization of community health centers. That means up to 190,000 Vermonters every year are receiving their primary healthcare."

Sanders, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, is the longest-serving independent in Congress with 40 years in public office including eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and a stint as mayor of Burlington, Vt.

At 82, he is also the second-oldest U.S. senator, with 90-year-old Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, his only senior.

Sanders will seek to remain in the Senate after running for president as a Democrat in 2020 and exited the race that April as the eventual winner, President Joe Biden, held a lead in delegates.

He also ran for president in 2016 but lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton.

In his announcement video, Sanders said that the 2024 election is "in many ways" the "most consequential election of our lifetimes," citing "very difficult times for our country and world."

"Will the United States continue to even function as a democracy, or will we move to an authoritarian form of government?" he said. "Will we reverse the unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality, that now exists, or will we continue to see billionaires get richer while working families struggle to put food on the table? Can we create a government that works for all of us? Or will our political system continue to be dominated by wealthy campaign contributors?"