Bernie Sanders’ brother lost his longshot bid for British Parliament

last updated 8 May 2015

Political dreams must run in the family. Larry Sanders, older brother to the independent Vermont senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, ran as a member of the Green Party in his district of Oxford West & Abingdon in Thursday's British elections. But the 80-year-old won only 4.4 percent of the vote, and his party won only one seat in British Parliament.

To be fair, the elder Sanders, who moved to England in 1969, had "no realistic chance of winning."

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With one Sanders out of the political running, the pressure may be on Bernie to bring home the family's underdog win. Whatever the outcome, Bernie says he wouldn't be where he is today without Larry, who introduced him to many of his progressive ideas. "I owe my brother an enormous amount," he told The Guardian.

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Lauren Hansen produces The Weekâ€™s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.