0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8e130001Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is an independent politician who, on April 30th, made an official announcement of his candidacy for the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. Sanders, a self-described "Democratic Socialist," is a native of Brooklyn, New York.Sanders served four terms as the mayor of Burlington, and in 1990, defeated Republican Peter Smith to become the first Independent candidate elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in four decades. In 2006, he was elected to the U.S. Senate after receiving the endorsements of prominent national Democrats, including New York's Senator, Chuck Shumer, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.