Bernie Sanders’ campaign has never been a conventional one. He has been open about its financing, which comes mostly from donations and from his active presence online, and about every other aspect of his running for President. His campaign was quickly written off by the mainstream media and even political analysts, but it looks like he now has the power to outshine the establishment candidates.
This has occurred because people are tired of the same bought out candidates: those funded by Super PACS, involved in Wallstreet, and in many other ways deemed untrustworthy by much of the public. Sanders has already raised enough money to keep up with his competitors, receiving over one million donations just in the fourth quarter, surpassing his third quarter, in which he raised over $26 million.
When we keep in mind that Clinton, his competitor, has raised about $21 million this quarter, it is easy to see why Sanders’ campaign is still alive and thriving. On the Republican side, Sen. Ted Cruz is expected to raise about $20 million, CNN has reported. One of the reasons why Sanders’ campaign has done as well as it has is because it focused hard on the issues that middle class citizens face every day. He has gained the support of unions and average Americans. Sanders has kept well away from appealing to the very-rich. If the ruling of Citizens United had not passed, his campaign would be the only one from all of the candidates this election season that would be legal because of his grassroots financing.
As the election draws nearer, it is important to remember that Sanders’ campaign is being run the way that every campaign should be run. He has worked hard to connect with regular, everyday voters, and he has kept his distance from what has become extreme politics, feeding the fear and unrest in the country with outlandish comments. It is true that he does not have all the connections that some of his competitors posses, it is also true that he is the only candidate truly aware of what the regular American citizen needs and deserves from their next president.