Can Bernie Sanders take on Hillary Clinton?

Senator Bernie Sanders (2007)

Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent and self-described socialist from Vermont, finally made it public: he’s running for president.

But that takes a lot of money – especially if he wants to have a voice against the likes of Hillary Clinton. Earlier this month, he told To the Point that he’s adamant about getting money out of politics and remaining independent. “I don’t want my own billionaire,” he said. “The vast majority of money I do raise will come from small individual contributions.”

Speaking to reporters outside the Capitol, the senator focused on economic inequality. “We can’t continue having a nation in which we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major nation on Earth, at the same time as we’re seeing a proliferation of millionaires and billionaires,” he said.

(He also made a plea to reporters to discuss the important issues and not focus on political gossip.)

Liberals see his candidacy as an opportunity to move the conversation to the left. Speaking to To the Point today, New Yorker politics reporter Ryan Lizza said it would be wise for the Hillary camp to take him seriously on the campaign trail. “There will be a contest and Hillary will be challenged,” he said.

Lizza said it’s unlikely that Bernie Sanders will clinch the Democratic nomination, “But he has a message far to the left of where Hillary Clinton is now and he’s going to pressure her on a lot of key policy points that are important to Democrats.”

More:

Bernie Sanders on To the Point

Ryan Lizza on To the Point