BURLINGTON, Vt. — Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is vowing to start a "political revolution" as he begins his challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Sanders is opening his campaign in Burlington at a kickoff event later today.
In a fundraising email, he says he'll address core economic issues, massive student debt and the role of big money in politics. He's pushing back against what he calls "the billionaire class" that he says is trying to buy the election.
Sanders, who is a self-described "democratic socialist," is trying to ignite a grassroots fire among left-leaning Democrats wary of Clinton. Many of those Democrats had hoped that Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren would enter the race. But she has repeatedly said she won't.
Sanders is laying out an agenda in step with the party's progressive wing and Warren's platform. It includes reining in Wall Street banks and creating a government-financed infrastructure jobs program.
