WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ announcement that he is running for president in 2020 (all times local):
8:10 p.m.
Bernie Sanders’ campaign says he has raised more than $4 million in the 12 hours since announcing his 2020 presidential campaign.
The Vermont senator said Tuesday that nearly 150,000 individuals had contributed to his Democratic bid.
Previously, the biggest first-day fundraiser in the race had been California Sen. Kamala Harris, who raised $1.5 million in the first 24 hours of her campaign.
Sanders stunned the Democratic establishment in 2016 with his spirited challenge to Hillary Clinton. His campaign helped lay the groundwork for the leftward lurch that has dominated Democratic politics in the era of President Donald Trump.
The question now for Sanders is whether he can stand out in a crowded field of Democrats who embrace many of his policy ideas and who are newer to the national political stage.
___
6:20 p.m.
Bernie Sanders is setting a new fundraising bar for 2020 Democrats.
The Vermont senator raised $3.3 million on Tuesday from 120,000 individual donors in the first 10 hours after announcing his presidential campaign. That’s according to a person familiar with the campaign who wasn’t authorized to publicly disclose the early numbers and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The fundraising haul is more than double the $1.5 million that Sen. Kamala Harris raised in the first 24 hours of her campaign. The California Democrat had been the biggest first-day fundraiser in the race so far.
— By Steve Peoples
___
3:20 p.m.
President Donald Trump says that Bernie Sanders ran a great race for the presidency four years ago but that he believes the Vermont senator “missed his time.”
The 77-year-old Sanders has announced that he’ll take another crack at becoming the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in 2020.
Trump took a handful of questions Tuesday in the Oval Office, including on Sanders, while signing a policy directive establishing a Space Force.
Trump says, “I like Bernie.” He says the senator was tough on trade like he was. He adds, however, that “the problem is he doesn’t know what to do about it. We’re doing something very spectacular on trade.”
Trump notes that a lot of candidates are running for his job but says only one can win and predicted it will be him.
___
2:30 p.m.
On the first day of his presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders picked up the support of his fellow home-state senator, Democrat Patrick Leahy.
Leahy, who endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary, says he’ll back Sanders this year.
In a statement, Leahy said the Democratic field was strong and “Bernie’s entry makes the field even stronger.” He called Sanders “a proven leader with a strong message.”
Also supporting Sanders is Vermont Rep. Peter Welch, who also backed him in 2016.
Sanders is the sixth senator competing in the primary. He joins Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
___
Noon
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders raised more than $1 million within hours of launching his 2020 presidential bid.
That’s according to a person familiar with the campaign who wasn’t authorized to publicly disclose the early numbers and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The numbers were amassed less than four hours after Sanders announced Tuesday morning that he would run again.
Sanders identifies as a democratic socialist and unsuccessfully challenged Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Democratic primary.
Few candidates seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination have voluntarily released early fundraising figures.
California Sen. Kamala (KAH’-mah-lah) Harris reported raising $1.5 million in the 24 hours after she launched her campaign last month. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (KLOH’-buh-shar) reported raising $1 million in the 48 hours after launching her campaign this month.
___
By Juana Summers.
___
10:25 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s campaign claims Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders “has already won the debate in the Democrat primary, because every candidate is embracing his brand of socialism.”
Sanders, an independent who describes himself as a democratic socialist, announced on Tuesday that he’s running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
In a statement, Trump campaign national press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the American people “will reject an agenda of sky-high tax rates, government-run health care and coddling dictators like those in Venezuela.”
Sanders embraces proposals ranging from “Medicare for All” to free college tuition. He describes his 2020 White House bid as a “continuation of what we did in 2016.” He told CBS “these ideas and many more are now part of the political mainstream.”
___
7:20 a.m.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is describing his new White House bid as a “continuation of what we did in 2016.”
Sanders notes that policies he advocated for in 2016 are now embraced by the Democratic Party.
Sanders says, “You know what’s happened in over three years? All of these ideas and many more are now part of the political mainstream.”
Sanders was asked Tuesday on CBS whether he believes the Democratic Party has come his way. He says, “I don’t want to say that. Most people would say that.”
Sanders announced his 2020 presidential bid earlier Tuesday. The 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist challenged Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary in 2016.
___
6:45 a.m.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says he’s running for president in 2020.
The 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist challenged Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary in 2016 and said on Tuesday that he planned to again seek the nomination.
Sanders has reshaped Democratic politics and earned a loyal following with his passionate defense of liberal proposals including free college tuition and single-payer health care. But he will face off against several other Democratic candidates who also want to appeal to the party’s base.
Still, Sanders’ name recognition, fundraising prowess and passion for liberal policies makes him a top-tier 2020 presidential contender.
