The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (May 2012)

In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation. The Merrian-Webster dictionary's definition of "nonpartisan" is:

"Not partisan; free from party affiliation, bias, or designation."^[1]

Some nonpartisan organizations are truly such; others are nominally nonpartisan but in fact are generally identifiable with a political party.

United States of America[link]

Today, nonpartisan elections are generally held for municipal and county offices, especially school board, and are also common in the election of judges. The unicameral Nebraska State Legislature is the only state legislature that is entirely officially nonpartisan.

Although elections may be officially nonpartisan, in some elections (usually involving larger cities or counties, as well as the Nebraska Unicameral) the party affiliations of candidates are generally known, most commonly by the groups endorsing a particular candidate (e.g., a candidate endorsed by a labor union would be generally affiliated with the Democratic Party, while a candidate endorsed by a business coalition would be generally affiliated with the Republican Party).

Churches and other 501(c)(3) organizations[link]

Churches and charities in the United States were mainly formed under US Internal Revenue Service tax code 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. To maintain that tax-exempt status, and the ability for donors to take a tax deduction, they were required to remain nonpartisan.^[2]

This has caused some to question the ability of organizations that have the appearance of partisanship. Some predominantly African-American churches were seen as promoting Democratic candidates. Some predominantly white Evangelical churches were seen as promoting Republican candidates. Most churches regardless of color were seen to promote ballot measures that defined marriage as being between one man and one woman.

The Brookings Institution is a Washington, D.C. think tank and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since its founding in 1916, it has had both identifiable Republicans and Democrats among its leadership. Owing to leadership changes such as this, some argue that it is a good example of a nonpartisan organization. However, others disagree; The New York Times has at times listed the organization as being liberal, liberal-centrist, centrist, and conservative.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]} In 2008, The New York Times published an article where it referred to the "conservative Brookings Institution".^[10]

Therefore, in regards to organizations in the United States, it seems the only way a group can escape the label of being partisan, is to have no involvement with politics at all. There are many Churches and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that indeed seemingly are completely nonpartisan. However, owing to the ever changing political leanings of their members, it seems there will be always be someone that loudly proclaim a group as being partisan.

Nonpartisan League[link]

In U.S. history, the Nonpartisan League was an influential socialist political movement, especially in the Upper Midwest, particularly during the 1910s and 1920s. It also contributed much to the ideology of the former Progressive Party of Canada. It went into decline and merged with the Democratic Party of North Dakota to form the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party in 1956.

Milwaukee[link]

In the history of Milwaukee, the "Nonpartisans" were an unofficial but widely recognized coalition of Republicans and Democrats who cooperated in an effort to keep Milwaukee's Sewer Socialists out of as many offices as possible, including in elections which were officially non-partisan, but in which Socialists and "Nonpartisans" were clearly identified in the press.^[11] (Such candidates were sometimes called "fusion" candidates.^[12]) This lasted from the 1910s^[13] well into the 1940s. (The similar effort in 1888 to prevent Herman Kroeger's election as a Union Labor candidate had been conducted under the banner of a temporary "Citizen's Party" label.^[14]) During the period of Socialist-Progressive cooperation (1935-1941), the two sides were called "Progressives" and "Nonpartisans".^[15]

Republic of India[link]

In the Republic of India, the Jaago Re! One Billion Votes campaign is a non-partisan campaign initiated by Tata Tea, and Janaagraha to encourage citizens to vote in the Indian general election, 2009.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

	Politics portal
	Political science portal

• Apolitical
• Decline To State
• Non-partisan democracy

Notes[link]

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (May 2009)

• William Safire (2008-03-31). "Safire's political dictionary". Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=jK-0NPoMiYoC&pg=PA476&dq=Nonpartisan&lr=lang_en&as_brr=3&ei=BR3lSM7ME4GmMrGO6BM&sig=ACfU3U2QN4BCbhNoVwHNGAlIsKjh0EU9dg. Retrieved 2012-01-25. 
• Charles Edward Russell. "The story of the Nonpartisan League: a chapter in American evolution". Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=-0gQAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Nonpartisan&lr=lang_en&as_brr=3&ei=thnlSKvzIoneNtqR3A8. Retrieved 2012-01-25. 
• Albert Breton (1998-09-28). "Competitive Governments: An Economic Theory of Politics and Public Finance". Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=o0XNlQCub1cC&pg=PA110&dq=Nonpartisan&lr=lang_en&as_brr=3&ei=YRrlSK-iLpSWMr7wjQw&sig=ACfU3U2Lzrl2wUcZxNtbKJORgQ8bLxB3Vw. Retrieved 2012-01-25. 
• Joan Campbell (1944-06-03). "European labor unions". Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=23dUzlVxphMC&pg=PA167&dq=Nonpartisan&lr=lang_en&as_brr=3&ei=9RnlSJHZG4mUMuSv8BE&sig=ACfU3U2l6_3PSuck7Vr0UPhPd2qVWnqRig. Retrieved 2012-01-25. 
• Leon D. Epstein. "Political parties in Western democracies". Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=iIolxT5S3SMC&pg=PA95&dq=Nonpartisan&lr=lang_en&as_brr=3&ei=thnlSKvzIoneNtqR3A8&sig=ACfU3U3PjpluOebEL9H9ffhDGP1FTME5QA. Retrieved 2012-01-25. 

Alex Sink
2nd Chief Financial Officer of Florida
In office January 2, 2007 – January 4, 2011
Preceded by	Tom Gallagher
Succeeded by	Jeffrey Atwater
Personal details
Born	Adelaide Sink (1948-06-05) June 5, 1948 (age 64) Mt. Airy, North Carolina, United States
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Bill McBride (1987-Present)
Children	Bert McBride Lexi McBride
Residence	Thonotosassa, Florida
Alma mater	Wake Forest University
Profession	Banker, Politician
Religion	Presbyterian

Adelaide "Alex" Sink (born June 5, 1948)^[1] is an American politician of the Democratic Party. Sink was the Chief Financial Officer for the state of Florida and treasurer on the board of trustees of the Florida State Board of Administration. She was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida and faced Republican nominee Rick Scott in the 2010 Florida gubernatorial election, losing to Scott by a 1% margin.^[2]

Personal[link]

Sink was raised in Mount Airy, North Carolina. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University. After graduating with a degree in mathematics, she taught in West Africa for three years.

Sink is married to Florida attorney and politician Bill McBride who was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida in 2002, making them the only married American couple to both run unsuccessfully in gubernatorial races. They have a son, Bert, and a daughter, Lexi.

She is a descendant of Chang Bunker, one of the famous conjoined "Siamese Twins" Chang and Eng Bunker.^[3]

Career[link]

Sink is a former president of Florida Operations at Bank of America. She was appointed by former Governor Lawton Chiles to the Commission on Government Accountability to the People, and also served on Chiles’ Commission on Education. She was vice-chair of Florida TaxWatch. Sink has also served with the Florida Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, the Beth El Farm Workers Ministry, and as Chairman of the Board of the United Way of Hillsborough County.

Florida Chief Financial Officer[link]

Sink was the Democratic candidate for Florida's office of Chief Financial Officer in 2006. She defeated Republican Tom Lee 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent.^[4] She also was the first Democrat elected to the state Cabinet since 1998.^[4]

2010 gubernatorial candidate[link]

Heading into the 2010 cycle, Sink was mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. Senate or for Governor of Florida. In 2008, Sink stated that she would "assess the landscape after the first of the year, and make a decision then."^[5] In January 2009, Sink announced she would not run for either seat, preferring to stand for reelection as CFO.^[6] The announcement that Gov. Charlie Crist would forgo re-election to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez altered her position, and on May 13, 2009, Sink announced her intention to run for Governor.

On August 24, 2010, Sink won the Democratic primary for governor. She faced health care executive Rick Scott in the general election, as well as an independent (NPA) candidate, urban designer and policy analyst, Michael E. Arth.^[7][8] A former independent candidate, Bud Chiles, endorsed Sink in September.^[9]

On October 25, 2010, during a televised debate, Sink read a text message sent to her make up artist's cellular phone from a campaign official instructing Sink as to debate strategy, contrary to the rules of the debate. Sink fired the adviser who sent the text message.^[10]

After a close election, Sink conceded, giving victory to Scott. He carried 49% of the vote, and she 48%.

Political Issues[link]

Fiscal policy[link]

Sink is a consumer advocate and strict proponent of fiscal responsibility and accountability for government spending. She began measures of efficiency with her own department, the Florida Department of Financial Services, by saving an estimated $2.2 million in waste annually.^[11]

Florida Taj Mahal scandal[link]

On August 30, 2010 Alex Sink sent letters to the Florida Supreme Court and Florida Department of Management Services that preliminary findings warranted an audit via her DFS, Bureau of Auditing for excessive spending on the First District Court of Appeal of Florida courthouse, referred to as the "Taj Mahal" by judges around Florida as their districts are facing budget cuts. The CFO's office states that money may have been misused and as much as $16 million may have spent in a financial raid on the state's Workers' Compensation Trust Fund.^[12] A $33.5 million bond for construction was attached to a transportation bill and passed on last day of the 2007 legislative session. This is an ongoing investigation by the CFO's office.

Environment[link]

• Opposition to oil drilling

Sink supports a ban on oil drilling in Florida's waters. She also supports developing a comprehensive ocean management plan to protect and preserve Florida's coastal habitats, marine ecosystems, and ocean waters by identifying appropriate areas that can be used by regulated entities.

• Land conservation

On land conservation, Sink supports all of the programs that make up Florida Forever. She desires to work with the Florida Legislature to restore Florida Forever funding. Sink wants the State of Florida to acquire more land for preservation of resources as well as land connecting larger parcels for safe travel corridors for migration and large wildlife species movement in a natural habitat. These lands for public use will also remain on local government tax rolls.

• Water conservation

Sink states that she would emphasize protecting and conserving water, improving water quality, and increasing the water supply through reasonable timeframes for citizens and business. Sink also supports alternative water supplies through stable and adequate funding to allow the creation of alternative water supplies.

• Everglades restoration

Sink is a supporter of acquisition of land north and south of Lake Okeechobee for conservation purposes. She is a supporter of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan to restore the Everglades while still providing enough water for the urban, agricultural and environmental concerns. Sink would like to expedite federal approval of restoration projects and to ensure more federal funding which was part of the 50/50 state/federal partnership.

Education[link]

Sink supports improving Florida's public schools at the local level. Sink wants a timeline for transitioning pre-Kindergarten programs toward having at least one teacher with a college degree in every classroom, developing a statewide school dropout early warning system, reforming FCAT to raise student achievement standards, an updated curriculum, and use Florida Lottery funding to enhance educational programs, and as originally designed.^[13]

Florida's economy[link]

Sink is for stabilizing small business for the immediate and incentives for employers to keep jobs in Florida and begin expansion of the workforce through promoting economic sectors that create jobs. She has long-term goals of a stronger emphasis on R&D and commercialization of new products and boosting partnerships between our university faculty and private industry.

Health care[link]

Sink supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3020) passed by the United States Congress and enacted on March 30, 2010.^[14]

Social issues[link]

Abortion[link]

Sink supports the Supreme Court's 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113) which legalized abortion in the United States. Sink has been endorsed by Emily's List as pro-choice. In 2003, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida honored Sink with its "Choice Award" for her outspoken support for women's rights and reproductive freedom. "She is the only pro-choice member of Florida's cabinet, and, as governor, will protect a woman's right to choose."^[15]

Adoption[link]

Alex Sink believes in the placement of children in a home where it is in the best interests of children regardless of gender preference. She addressed a group of 300 gay and lesbian advocates at the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale. She said, "We need a system in which all of our children are assured that they live in a healthy, loving home -- a home that's determined not by any law." "The decision has to be made by the judge, in consultation with the experts, to determine what is the best for that individual child."^[16]

Immigration[link]

Sink opposes an immigration bill modeled after Arizona immigration law (2010), saying that "The law passed in Arizona does not meet Florida's needs" and supporting that is the responsibility of the federal government to prevent immigrants from illegally crossing the border, stating that it is not the responsibility of the government of the state.

Electoral history[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Florida Department of Financial Services
• Alex Sink for Governor official campaign website
• Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
• Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org

v t e Democratic Party nominees for Governor of Florida (1953-) McCarty • Collins • Bryant • Burns • High • Askew • Graham • Pajcic • Chiles • MacKay • McBride • Davis • Sink

Bernie Sanders
United States Senator from Vermont
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2007 Serving with Patrick Leahy
Preceded by	Jim Jeffords
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's At-large district
In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Peter P. Smith
Succeeded by	Peter Welch
Mayor of Burlington
In office 1981–1989
Preceded by	Gordon Paquette
Succeeded by	Peter Clavelle
Personal details
Born	Bernard Sanders (1941-09-08) September 8, 1941 (age 70) New York City, New York
Political party	Independent - (Democratic Socialist)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (affiliated non-member) Progressive (affiliated non-member) Liberty Union
Spouse(s)	Jane O'Meara
Children	Levi Sanders
Residence	Burlington, Vermont
Alma mater	University of Chicago (B.A.)
Occupation	Carpenter Filmmaker Writer Researcher
Religion	Judaism
Website	www.sanders.senate.gov

Bernard "Bernie" Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives. Sanders also served as mayor of Burlington, Vermont.

Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist,^[1][2] and has praised European social democracy (though he has also criticized its contemporary "Third Way" departure). He is the first person elected to the U.S. Senate to identify as a socialist.^[3] Sanders caucuses with the Democratic Party and is counted as a Democrat for the purposes of committee assignments, but because he does not belong to a formal political party, he appears as an independent on the ballot. He was also the only independent member of the House during much of his service there.

Early life, education and early career[link]

Sanders, the son of Jewish Polish immigrants to the United States, was born in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn and later attended the University of Chicago, graduating with an B.A. in political science in 1964.^[4] After graduating from college, Sanders spent time on an Israeli kibbutz, an experience which shaped his political views.^[5] In 1964, Sanders moved to Vermont, where he worked as a carpenter, filmmaker, writer and researcher, among other jobs.^[4]

Statewide runs in the 1970s[link]

Sanders' political career began in 1971, when he joined the anti-Vietnam War Liberty Union Party in Vermont. In the special U.S. Senate election of January 1972, recently appointed incumbent Republican Robert Theodore Stafford defeated Democratic nominee Randolph Mayor and LU nominee Sanders 64%-33%-2%.^[6] In the November 1972 gubernatorial election, Democrat Thomas Salmon defeated Republican Luther Fred Hackett and Sanders 55%-44%-1%.^[7] In the 1974 U.S. Senate election, Democrat Patrick Leahy defeated Republican Richard Mallary and Sanders 49%-46%-4%.^[8] In the 1976 gubernatorial election, Republican Richard Snelling defeated Democrat Stella Hackel and Sanders 53%-40%-6%.^[9] In 1979, Sanders resigned from the Liberty Union party and worked as a writer and the director of the non-profit American People's Historical Society.

Mayor of Burlington[link]

In 1981, at the suggestion of his friend Richard Sugarman, a religion professor at the University of Vermont, Sanders ran for mayor of Burlington and defeated six-term Democratic incumbent Gordon Paquette by 10 votes, in a four-way contest. (An independent candidate, Richard Bove, split the Democratic vote after losing the primary to Paquette).

Sanders won three more terms, defeating both Democratic and Republican candidates. In his last run for mayor, in 1987, he defeated a candidate endorsed by both major parties.

During Sanders' first term, his supporters, including the first Citizens Party City Councilor Terry Bouricius, formed the Progressive Coalition, forerunner of the Vermont Progressive Party. The Progressives never held more than six seats on the 13-member city council, but held enough votes to keep the council from overriding Sanders' vetoes. Under Sanders, Burlington became the first city in the country to fund community-trust housing. His administration also sued the local cable television provider and won considerably reduced rates and a substantial cash settlement.

Sanders ran for governor for the third time in 1986. He finished third with 14.5% of the vote – enough to deny incumbent Democrat Madeleine Kunin a majority; she was then elected by the state legislature, pursuant to Vermont law. In 1988, when seven-term incumbent Representative Jim Jeffords made a successful run for the Senate, Sanders ran for Jeffords' vacated seat in the House and narrowly lost to Peter P. Smith, the former lieutenant governor and the 1986 Republican candidate for governor.

Sanders taught at Harvard University in 1989 and Hamilton College in 1991.

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

Rep. Sanders in 2006

Elections[link]

In 1988, incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Jim Jeffords decided to retire from Vermont's At-large congressional district to run for the U.S. Senate. Republican Lieutenant Governor Peter Smith won the election with a plurality of 41%. Sanders, who ran as an independent, got 38%. Democratic nominee Paul N. Poirier, a State Representative, got 19% in third place.^[10]

In 1990, Sanders ran for the seat again and defeated the incumbent Smith 56% to 40%. He became the first independent elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 40 years^[11] (since Frazier Reams) and the first U.S. Congressman to describe himself as a socialist in 60 years (since Victor Berger).^[12]

In 1992, he won re-election with 58%.^[13] In 1994, in the midst of the Republican Revolution that swept Republicans into control of the Congress, Sanders had his most difficult re-election campaign, defeating Republican State Senator John Carroll 50% to 47%; no Democrat was on the ballot.^[14] In 1996, he defeated Republican State Senator Susan Sweetser and Democrat Jack Long 55%-33%-9%.^[15] He didn't have another competitive re-election campaign after 1996. He won re-election in 1998 (63%), 2000 (69%), 2002 (64%) and 2004 (67%).^[16][17] In total, Sanders was re-elected seven times and was the longest-serving independent member of the House. Despite his independent status, he won re-election with less than 55% only once (1994).

Although relations between Sanders and House Democratic leadership were not always smooth, the Democrats never actively campaigned against Sanders after his first run for Congress as an independent. While Democratic candidates ran against him in every election except 1994 (when Sanders managed to win the Democrats' endorsement), they received little financial support.^{[citation needed]}

Tenure[link]

Sanders' lifetime legislative score from the AFL-CIO is 100%. As of 2006^[update], he has a grade of "C-" from the National Rifle Association (NRA). Sanders voted against the Brady Bill and in favor of an NRA-supported bill to restrict lawsuits against gun manufacturers in 2005.^[18] Sanders voted to abolish the so-called "marriage penalty" for income taxes and also voted for a bill that sought to ban human cloning. Sanders has endorsed every Democratic nominee for president of the United States since 1992. Sanders is a co-founder of the House Progressive Caucus and chaired the grouping of mostly liberal Democrats for its first eight years.

Sanders voted against the resolutions authorizing the use of force against Iraq in 1991 and 2002 and opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But he later joined almost all of his colleagues in voting for a non-binding resolution expressing support for U.S. troops at the outset of the invasion, although he gave a floor speech criticizing the partisan nature of the resolution and the Bush administration's actions in the run-up to the war. On April 7, 2006, in regard to the investigation of the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity, Sanders said, "The revelation that the president authorized the release of classified information in order to discredit an Iraq war critic should tell every member of Congress that the time is now for a serious investigation of how we got into the war in Iraq and why Congress can no longer act as a rubber stamp for the president."^[19] Sanders supports universal health care and opposes what he terms "unfettered" free trade,^[20] which he argues deprives American workers of their jobs while exploiting foreign workers in sweatshop factories.

In June 2005, Sanders proposed an amendment to limit provisions that allow the government to obtain individuals' library and book-buying records. The amendment passed the House by a bipartisan majority but was removed on November 4 that year by House-Senate negotiators and never became law.^[21] Sanders followed this vote on November 5, 2005, by voting against the Online Freedom of Speech Act, which would have exempted the Internet from the restrictions of the McCain-Feingold Bill.

In March 2006, after a series of resolutions calling for him to bring articles of impeachment against the president passed in various towns in Vermont, Sanders stated it would be impractical to impeach George W. Bush, given the "reality that the Republicans control the House and the Senate." Still, Sanders made no secret of his opposition to the Bush Administration, which he regularly attacked for cuts in social programs he supports.^[22][23][24]

Sanders is a critic of Alan Greenspan. In June 2003, during a question-and-answer discussion with the then-Federal Reserve chairman, Sanders told Greenspan that he was concerned that Greenspan was "way out of touch" and "that you see your major function in your position as the need to represent the wealthy and large corporations."^[25] Sanders said in 1998 that investment banks and commercial banks should remain as separate entities.^[26]

Republicans have attacked Sanders as "an ineffective extremist" for successfully sponsoring only one law and fifteen amendments in his eight terms in the House.^[27][28] Sanders responded by saying that he had gotten "the most floor amendments of any member of the House since 1996 [passed]."^[29] Former Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean has stated that "Bernie Sanders votes with the Democrats 98 percent of the time."^[30]

U.S. Senate[link]

Elections[link]

Sanders had mentioned on several occasions that he would run for the Senate if Jeffords (with whom he has a longstanding friendship) were ever to retire and he entered the race on April 21, 2005, following Jeffords' announcement that he would not seek a fourth term. New York Senator Chuck Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, endorsed Sanders; Schumer's backing was critical, as it meant that any Democrat running against Sanders could not expect to receive any significant financial help on a national level.

Sanders was also endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Democratic National Committee chairman and former Vermont governor Howard Dean. Dean said in May 2005 that he considered Sanders an ally who votes with House Democrats. Then-Senator Barack Obama also campaigned for Sanders in Vermont. Sanders entered into an agreement with the Democratic Party to be listed in their primary but to decline the nomination should he win, which he did easily.^[31]

Speculation abounded that the state's popular Republican governor, Jim Douglas, would enter the race as well. Many pundits believed Douglas was the only Republican who could possibly defeat Sanders. However, on April 30, Douglas announced he would seek a third term as governor. In the view of many pundits, this effectively handed the open seat to Sanders.

Sanders consistently led his Republican challenger, businessman Richard Tarrant, by wide margins in polling. In the most expensive political campaign in Vermont's history,^[32] Sanders defeated Tarrant by an approximately 2-to-1 margin in the 2006 midterm election. Many national media outlets (including CNN) projected Sanders the winner before any returns came in.

Sanders is only the third Senator from Vermont to caucus with the Democrats — following Jeffords and Patrick Leahy. He made a deal with the Democratic leadership similar to the one Jeffords made after Jeffords became an independent. In exchange for receiving the committee seats that would be available to him as a Democrat, Sanders votes with the Democrats on all procedural matters unless he asks permission of Majority Whip Richard Durbin. However, such a request is almost never made and is almost never granted. He is free to vote as he pleases on policy matters but almost always votes with the Democrats.^{[citation needed]}

Tenure[link]

Sanders and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007 on January 15, 2007. The measure would have provided funding for research and development on geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide, set emissions standards for new vehicles and a renewable fuels requirement for gasoline beginning in 2016, established energy efficiency and renewable portfolio standards beginning in 2008 and low-carbon electric generation standards beginning in 2016 for electric utilities and would have required periodic evaluations by the National Academy of Sciences to determine whether emissions targets are adequate.^[33]

On September 24, 2008, Senator Sanders posted on his website a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson against the initial bailout proposal, drawing more than 8,000 citizen co-signers in the first 24 hours.^[34] On January 26, 2009, Sanders and Democrats Robert Byrd, Russ Feingold and Tom Harkin were the sole majority members to vote against confirmation of Timothy Geithner to be United States Secretary of the Treasury.^[35]

On December 10, 2010, Senator Sanders delivered an 8½ hour speech against the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, the proposed extension of the Bush-era tax rates that eventually became law, saying "Enough is enough! [...] How many homes can you own?" (A long speech such as this is in the tradition of a filibuster, though because it did not block Senate action, it didn't technically qualify as a filibuster under US Senate rules.)^[36]

In response to his 'filibuster,' "activists across the country started talking up the notion of a 'Sanders for President' run in 2012, either as a dissident Democrat in the primaries or as a left-leaning Independent."^[37] Hundreds of people signed online petitions urging Sanders to run and pollsters began measuring his support in key primary states.^[37] Progressive activists such as Rabbi Michael Lerner and economist David Korten publicly voiced their support for a prospective Sanders run against president Barack Obama.^[37] Sanders has disavowed any interest in a presidential run, saying he was "very proud to be Vermont's senator," and maintained that "I am very content to be where I am, but I am flattered by that kind of response."^[37]

On January 19, 2011, Sanders announced that his 8 1/2 hour speech given on December 10, 2010, would be published in February 2011 by Nation Books. The book is entitled The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class, and authorial proceeds go to Vermont nonprofit charitable organizations.^[38]

Sanders is very popular in Vermont. Polling conducted in August 2011 by Public Policy Polling found that Sander's approval rating was 67% and his disapproval rating was just 28%, making him the third most-popular Senator in the country.^[39]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Environment and Public Works
  • Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
  • Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on National Parks
  • Subcommittee on Water and Power
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
  • Subcommittee on Children and Families
  • Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Committee on the Budget

Political positions[link]

Bernie Sanders speaking at Bobfest '09.

Senator Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist.^[1][2]

Health care[link]

He is a staunch supporter of a universal health care system.^[40]

Renegotiaton of NAFTA[link]

He is a strong advocate for renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and is a strong opponent of the current United States trade policy towards Latin America and China.^{[citation needed]}

Iraq War[link]

Sanders opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq from its start and voted against it in the House of Representatives.^[41] He has called for a speedy withdrawal and increased veterans' benefits.

Media freedom[link]

Sanders has also been a leader in calling for media reform and opposes increased concentration of ownership of media outlets.^[42] He appeared in Orwell Rolls in His Grave and Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, two documentaries on the subject.^[43]

Global warming and the environment[link]

He warns about the dangers of global warming^[44]

U.S. Federal Reserve audit[link]

Sanders introduced a Senate companion bill to H.R. 1207, which would conduct an audit of the Federal Reserve.^[45]

Civil rights[link]

He is a vocal supporter of gay rights, supporting same sex marriage and of pro-choice legislation.^[4] He voted against the Defense of Marriage Act as a member of the House of Representatives.^[46]

Nuclear power[link]

Following the 2011 Japanese nuclear accidents, Sanders called for a moratorium on the licensing of new nuclear plants and relicensing of existing ones, in an effort to slow down what's been touted as a nuclear renaissance in the United States.^[47] Sanders wrote to President Barack Obama asking for him to appoint a special commission to review the safety of U.S. nuclear plants. Sanders also wants to repeal a federal law that he says leaves the taxpayers to pick up most of the costs of a major nuclear accident. He says, "in a free-enterprise system, the nuclear industry should be required to insure itself against accidents."^[47]

Personal life[link]

Sanders is married to Jane O'Meara, former president of Burlington College, and has one son, Levi Sanders, from a previous marriage.^[48] His brother, Larry Sanders, is a Green Party District Councillor for Oxford East^[49] in Oxfordshire, England.

Sanders is one of two sitting U.S. Senators who went to James Madison High School in Brooklyn (the other being Chuck Schumer). Before Sanders became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, his roommate was Richard I. Sugarman, a professor at the University of Vermont. Coincidentally, the only other Independent currently serving in the U.S. Senate, Joe Lieberman (I-CT) shared a suite with Professor Sugarman when the two attended Yale University in the 1960s.^[50]

For the Friday segment "Brunch with Bernie" of the Thom Hartmann radio program, Hartmann interviews Sanders and the senator answers listeners' calls.^[51]

Sanders also starred in his own weekly five-minute show, "Senator Sanders Unfiltered," hosted at Sandersunfiltered.com. The site has not been updated since early 2010.

Electoral history[link]

Most recent election shown below. For a complete list see: Electoral history of Bernie Sanders

Footnotes[link]

Further reading[link]

• Steven Soifer, The Socialist Mayor: Bernard Sanders in Burlington, Vermont. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1991.

External links[link]

• United States Senator Bernie Sanders official U.S. Senate site
• Friends of Bernie Sanders official campaign site'
• Bernie Sanders at The Internet Movie Database
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Works by or about Bernie Sanders in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• "War of the wealthy against working families" – video of speech from C-SPAN2
• Bernie Sanders Denounces Tax Cut in 8.5 Hour Senate Speech – video report by Democracy Now!

v t e United States Senators from Vermont Class 1 M. Robinson Tichenor Chipman Smith J. Robinson Tichenor Seymour Swift Phelps Foot Edmunds Proctor Stewart Page Greene Partridge Austin Flanders Prouty Stafford Jeffords Sanders Class 3 Bradley Paine Bradley Chase Fisk Palmer Chase Prentiss Crafts Upham Phelps Brainerd Collamer Poland Morrill Ross Dillingham Dale Gibson, Sr. Gibson, Jr. Aiken Leahy

The Right Honourable Tony Blair
Blair at the World Economic Forum (2009)
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	John Prescott
Preceded by	John Major
Succeeded by	Gordon Brown
Leader of the Opposition
In office 21 July 1994 – 2 May 1997
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Margaret Beckett
Succeeded by	John Major
Leader of the Labour Party
In office 21 July 1994 – 24 June 2007
Deputy	John Prescott
Preceded by	Margaret Beckett
Succeeded by	Gordon Brown
Shadow Home Secretary
In office 24 July 1992 – 24 October 1994
Leader	John Smith
Preceded by	Roy Hattersley
Succeeded by	Jack Straw
Shadow Secretary of State for Employment
In office 2 November 1989 – 24 July 1992
Leader	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	Michael Meacher
Succeeded by	Frank Dobson
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy
In office 7 June 1988 – 2 November 1989
Leader	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	John Prescott
Succeeded by	Frank Dobson
Member of Parliament for Sedgefield
In office 9 June 1983 – 27 June 2007
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Phil Wilson
Majority	18,449 (44.5%)
Personal details
Born	Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (1953-05-06) 6 May 1953 (age 59) Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Cherie Booth (1980–present)
Children	Euan Nicky Kathryn Leo
Alma mater	St John's College, Oxford Inns of Court School of Law
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature
Website	Tony Blair Office

Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)^[1] is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He resigned from all of these positions in June 2007.

Blair was elected Leader of the Labour Party in the leadership election of July 1994, following the sudden death of his predecessor, John Smith. Under his leadership, the party used the phrases "New Labour" and "New Socialism" to define its policy, and moved away from its support of state socialism since the 1960s and created a new version of the ethical socialism that was last pursued by Clement Attlee.^[2] Critics of Blair claim that "New Labour" did not adhere to socialism as claimed, and that it effectively advocated capitalism.^[3] Blair subsequently led Labour to a landslide victory in the 1997 general election. At 43 years old, he became the youngest Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812. In the first years of the New Labour government, Blair's government implemented a number of 1997 manifesto pledges, introducing the minimum wage, Human Rights Act and Freedom of Information Act, and carrying out devolution, establishing the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Blair's role as Prime Minister was particularly visible in foreign and security policy, including in Northern Ireland, where he was involved in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. From the start of the War on Terror in 2001, Blair strongly supported the foreign policy of US President George W. Bush, notably by participating in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and 2003 invasion of Iraq. Blair is the Labour Party's longest-serving Prime Minister, the only person to have led the Labour Party to three consecutive general election victories, and the only Labour Prime Minister to serve consecutive terms more than one of which was at least four years long.

He was succeeded as Leader of the Labour Party on 24 June 2007 and as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007 by Gordon Brown.^[4] On the day he resigned as Prime Minister, he was appointed the official Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East. In May 2008, Blair launched his Tony Blair Faith Foundation.^[5] This was followed in July 2009 by the launching of the Faith and Globalisation Initiative with Yale University in the US, Durham University in the UK and the National University of Singapore in Asia to deliver a postgraduate programme in partnership with the Foundation.^[6][7]