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Full text of April 30, 2015 email to supporters...

Friend --

I am writing to inform you that I will be a candidate for President of the United States. I ask for your support.

Add your name to support my campaign.

For many months I have been traveling from coast to coast across our country, and have had the opportunity to meet with thousands of good, hard-working, and remarkable people. Like you and me, they are deeply concerned about the future of our country.

They wonder why they are working longer hours for lower wages. They worry about whether their kids will be able to afford college or get decent jobs. They fear that they may not have the savings to retire with dignity and security.

The challenges facing our country are enormous.

It's not just that, for forty years, the middle class has been disappearing. It's that 99% of all new income is going to the top 1%, and the grotesque level of wealth and income inequality today is worse than at any time since the late 1920s. The people at the top are grabbing all the new wealth and income for themselves, and the rest of America is being squeezed and left behind.

The disastrous decisions of the Supreme Court in the Citizens United case and in other related decisions are undermining the very foundations of American democracy, as billionaires rig the system by using their Super PACs to buy politicians and elections.

And the peril of global climate change, with catastrophic consequences, is the central challenge of our times and our planet.

The middle class in America is at a tipping point. It will not last another generation if we don’t boldly change course now.

After a year of travel, discussion and dialogue, I have decided to be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president. But let's be clear. This campaign is not about Bernie Sanders. It's about a grassroots movement of Americans standing up and saying: "Enough is enough. This country and our government belong to all of us, not just a handful of billionaires."

Our movement needs people like you involved to help it succeed. Add your name now to say you support my campaign for president.

I run not to oppose any man or woman, but to propose new and far-reaching policies to deal with the crises of our times. And I run because I know we must change course now, or risk losing the future for so many to the interests of so few.

A successful national campaign is a massive undertaking, especially when we will be heavily outspent. It will require the active participation of millions of Americans in every community in our country. In fact, it will require nothing less than a political revolution which combats the demoralization and alienation of so many of our people from the political process.

Let me be very honest. It may be too late to stop the billionaire class from trying to buy the Presidency and Congress. The forces of greed already may be too powerful.

But we owe it to our children and grandchildren to try. We owe it to them to make the fight and, through the power of our numbers, turn back this assault on the foundation of our democracy and our future.

We are at a moment of truth. We need to face up to the reality of where we are as a nation, and we need a mass movement of people to fight for change.

I believe America is ready for a new path to the future.

On May 26th I will formally launch our campaign at the City Hall in Burlington, Vermont, where I served as Mayor.

I ask you to join with me in our campaign for President of the United States.

Sincerely,

Senator Bernie Sanders



April 30, 2015
Contact: Nick Carter

Bernie Sanders: ‘I Will be a Candidate for President’

BURLINGTON, Vt., -- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders this morning will declare his candidacy for president of the United States. The senator will send an email to hundreds of thousands of supporters declaring his intention to run in the Democratic Party and laying out themes of his campaign:

Here are key excerpts:

“I am writing to inform you that I will be a candidate for President of the United States. I ask for your support.

“For many months I have been traveling from coast to coast across our country, and have had the opportunity to meet with thousands of good, hard-working, and remarkable people. Like you and me, they are deeply concerned about the future of our country.

“They wonder why they are working longer hours for lower wages. They worry about whether their kids will be able to afford college or get decent jobs. They fear that they may not have the savings to retire with dignity and security.

“The challenges facing our country are enormous.

“It's not just that, for forty years, the middle class has been disappearing. It's that 99% of all new income is going to the top 1%, and the grotesque level of wealth and income inequality today is worse than at any time since the late 1920s. The people at the top are grabbing all the new wealth and income for themselves, and the rest of America is being squeezed and left behind.

“The disastrous decisions of the Supreme Court in the Citizens United case and in other related cases are undermining the very foundations of American democracy, as billionaires rig the system by using their Super PACS to buy politicians and elections.

“And the peril of global climate change, with catastrophic consequences, is the central challenge of our time and our planet.

“The middle class in America is at a tipping point. It will not last another generation if we don’t boldly change course now.

“After a year of travel, discussion and dialogue, I have decided to be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president. But let's be clear. This campaign is not about Bernie Sanders. It about a grassroots movement of Americans standing up and saying: ‘Enough is enough. This country and our government belong to all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.’”

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Reactions

Democratic National Committee
For Immediate Release
April 30, 2015
 
Contact – DNC Press

DNC Chair Statement on Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Announcement

Washington, DC – In response to Bernie Sanders’ announcement that he will run for president in 2016, DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:
 
“Democrats welcome Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders as the second candidate to officially seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for President in 2016. Senator Sanders is well-recognized for his principled leadership and has consistently stood up for middle class families. Throughout his service in the U.S. House and Senate, Bernie Sanders has clearly demonstrated his commitment to the values we all share as members of the Democratic Party.

“The Democratic Party appreciates the contributions that Senator Sanders, Secretary Clinton, and other candidates will make to a healthy dialogue about the future of our party and our nation. There is a distinct contrast between Democrats who are on the side of middle and working class families and Republicans who are concerned with the very rich and wealthy corporations. Over the next year, the discussions we have during our respective nominating processes will help make that choice clear.”
 
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Sierra Club
April 30, 2015

Sierra Club Statement on Campaign Announcement by Bernie Sanders

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders announced he would officially begin his campaign for President of the United States. 
 
The Sierra Club has not yet begun any endorsement process for the 2016 Presidential election.   

In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:

"With Senator Sanders entering the Democratic primary, Americans can be sure that this election will include a robust and healthy discussion of fundamentally important challenges like tackling the climate crisis, getting big corporate money out of politics, and investing to grow our clean energy economy. On behalf of the Sierra Club’s 2.4 million members and supporters, we welcome Senator Sanders to the 2016 race and look forward to the debate on these issues in the months to come."
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The Sierra Club is the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president. The Sierra Club has hundreds of thousands of members in chapters located throughout the US, and is affiliated with Sierra Club Canada.

Democracy for America
April 29, 2015

Statement on the Sanders announcement from Democracy for America, one of the organizations behind the Run Warren Run campaign encouraging Sen. Elizabeth Warren to join the 2016 race:

"Democracy for America members are excited to have progressive champion Senator Bernie Sanders join the 2016 presidential race. Senator Sanders has a long history of fighting the wealthy and powerful interests that dominate the political process and his presence in the race continues to ensure that income inequality will be at the very center of the 2016 debate. 

"We continue to encourage Senator Elizabeth Warren to join the race for president, because we've seen the massive outpouring of grassroots support she has across the country and we know that having her in the race would only increase the odds of having a Democratic nominee committed to the bold, populist progressive reforms our country desperately needs." -- Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director, Democracy of America