Timeline
Eighteen dates that trace the arc from Brooklyn to Burlington to the U.S. Senate.
September 8, 1941 — Born in Brooklyn
Bernard Sanders is born in Brooklyn, New York, the second son of Eli Sanders, a Polish immigrant who sold paint, and Dorothy Glassberg Sanders.
1960 — Transfers to the University of Chicago
After a year at Brooklyn College, Sanders enrolls at the University of Chicago, where he becomes active in the civil-rights movement with CORE and SNCC. A university-held 1963 photograph records his arrest at a Chicago protest against school segregation; he also attends the March on Washington that year.
1964 — Graduates college
Sanders graduates from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in political science.
1968 — Moves to Vermont
Sanders settles in the Burlington area of Vermont, working as a carpenter, writer, and filmmaker.
1971–1977 — Liberty Union candidacies
Sanders runs for office several times as a member of the small Vermont Liberty Union Party — for governor in 1972 and 1976, and for the U.S. Senate in 1972 and 1974 — and loses each race.
March 3, 1981 — Elected mayor of Burlington
Running as an Independent, Sanders defeats five-term Democratic mayor Gordon Paquette by 10 votes after a recount.
1983–1987 — Re-elected mayor three times
Sanders wins three more two-year terms as Burlington’s mayor, serving until 1989. His tenure is noted for waterfront redevelopment and affordable-housing efforts.
November 6, 1990 — Elected to the U.S. House
Sanders defeats incumbent Republican Peter Plympton Smith for Vermont’s at-large House seat. He takes office January 3, 1991, and serves eight terms, through January 3, 2007.
1991 — Co-founds the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Sanders co-founds the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the House.
November 7, 2006 — Elected to the U.S. Senate
Sanders wins Vermont’s open Senate seat, succeeding Jim Jeffords, and takes office January 3, 2007, as an Independent caucusing with the Democrats.
December 10, 2010 — Senate filibuster
Sanders holds the Senate floor for more than eight hours in opposition to a tax-cut compromise package. The speech is later published as the book The Speech.
2012 — Re-elected to the Senate
Sanders wins a second Senate term with about 71% of the vote.
May 26, 2015 – July 2016 — 2016 presidential campaign
Sanders launches his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in Burlington, Vermont. He wins 23 contests and roughly 13.2 million votes (43.1%), earning 1,865 convention delegates, before endorsing Hillary Clinton on July 12, 2016.
September 13, 2017 — Introduces Medicare for All Act
Sanders introduces the Medicare for All Act of 2017 (S. 1804) in the Senate. He reintroduces versions in later Congresses, including S. 1655 in May 2023.
February 19, 2019 – April 2020 — 2020 presidential campaign
Sanders launches his second presidential campaign. He wins the New Hampshire primary and Nevada caucuses, withdraws on April 8, 2020, and endorses Joe Biden on April 13, 2020.
January 20, 2021 – February 3, 2021 — The mittens meme; Budget chairman
The photograph of Sanders at the presidential inauguration — bundled against the cold, wearing mittens made by Vermont teacher Jen Ellis — becomes a worldwide internet meme. Days later he becomes chairman of the Senate Budget Committee for the 117th Congress.
January 2023 – 2024 — HELP chairman; fourth Senate term
Sanders becomes chairman of the Senate HELP Committee in the 118th Congress. On November 5, 2024, he is re-elected to a fourth Senate term, defeating Republican Gerald Malloy.
January 3, 2025 – present — Ranking member of HELP; Finance member
In the 119th Congress, Sanders becomes the ranking member of the HELP Committee and joins the Senate Finance Committee. He continues to serve as chairman of the Senate Democrats’ outreach effort.
Source notes
Dates and events on this timeline are drawn from the official Senate press-package biography, U.S. Senate committee announcements, Congress.gov bill records (S. 1804, S. 1655), and reputable news reporting cited on the sources page. See the dedicated pages on this site for full citations of the campaign figures and meme details.
Factual baseline: September 2026.