What Bernie Sanders Plans to Do Next
The senator returned home to Vermont this morning, where he'll work on a book.
— -- Bernie Sanders’ hard-fought campaign lasted more than 14 months and took him to 45 states plus Puerto Rico and Rome. But on Wednesday morning, after declaring on the convention floor in Philadelphia that Hillary Clinton should be the Democratic Party nominee, Sanders said to a room full of delegates, “As of yesterday, I guess, officially, our campaign ended.”
The Vermont progressive who rose to political stardom this year, went on to reiterate his plans to start a new organization, tentatively named "Our Revolution," aimed at supporting progressive candidates around the country.
Several of his former campaign staffers have said they are committed to helping with the new political entity, including some of his all-star digital team. “What we are doing now is transitioning our movement in another direction…. To revitalize American democracy and to make certain all over this country we have younger people getting involved,” Sanders continued Wednesday.
After the Democratic National Convention wrapped, the senator flew with some of his top staff back to his hometown in Burlington, Vermont, Friday morning. Michael Briggs, a Sanders spokesman, says the senator's plan is to spend much of August working on a book, which is set to come out in November after the election.
One of Sanders' friends and colleagues, Larry Cohen, the former head of the Communications Workers of American union, joked with reporters this week that ideally the book would include fun anecdotes about their surprising insurgent campaign, but that knowing Sanders it would also likely lean heavily on policy.
In addition to book-writing and organization-building, the senator is itching to get back out on the campaign trail. His staff expects him to hold a few key rallies to gin up excitement for the Democratic presidential ticket, but he has said most of his travel will focus on Senate or congressional races too.
Speaking to reporters this week in Philadelphia, Sanders confirmed that he had no intention using his email list to fundraise for Clinton though he has formally endorsed her, but will be actively raising money for other progressives his team identifies.