Bernie Sanders partners with Run for Something to train candidates

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Politico

05/08/2025 04:45 AM EDT


Bernie Sanders, who has been calling for progressives to run for office on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, is putting more organizational muscle behind his appeal.

The Vermont senator is teaming up with the liberal group Run for Something and other outside organizations to provide support to potential candidates, according to plans shared first with POLITICO. The effort, if successful, could help push the party at least incrementally in Sanders’ direction. And it is almost certain to draw the ire of some Democrats, as Sanders and some of his allies help both Democrats and independents run for office.

More than 5,000 people have signed up with Sanders’ operation to explore campaigns, his team said. “We want to make sure that we’re not just going into these spaces and holding rallies and disappearing, and we’re not just asking people to run for office,” said Jeremy Slevin, a top Sanders adviser. “We’re giving them the tools they need to actually do it.”

Sanders has long encouraged people to run for office, but some progressives in his orbit have complained in the past that he hasn’t done enough to prepare those in his movement for a post-Sanders future. Sanders, who is 83, appears to be attempting to burnish that part of his legacy, including by touring the country recently with younger progressives and populists such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.).

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/08/bernie-sanders-run-for-something-00334937

---

This is what has to happen and the group Indivisible had started doing the same in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Anyone who might be interested in running for office needs to learn how to go through the whole process (including getting nomination petitions together and filling out a slew of forms).

[murielm99]

1. Most state parties,

actual Democrats, have some initiative going. They are helping down ballot candidates and training them. I know they do this in Illinois. The Vermont Senator sounds like a johnny-come-lately.

[Oopsie Daisy]

2. Hopefully, the "Run for Something" organization encourages people to run AS DEMOCRATS...

... we are stronger when people join and support the Democratic party and engage in the primary system. Others who are too proud (or angry?) to commit to the Democratic party, and/or who demand "open primaries," or who run as third-party non-Democrats, will only end up diluting the liberal vote and weakening the party. This makes it easier for the Republican candidates to win.

If this is another incarnation of "Justice Democrats" or "Our Revolution" then I predict that we have some tough times ahead, since neither of those groups have any genuine or sincere interest in growing or strengthening the Democratic party.