Levi Sanders, son of Bernie Sanders, announces run for Congress in New Hampshire

Levi Sanders, left, with Bernie Sanders.

(Image credit: The Associated Press)

There might soon be another member of the Sanders family in Washington: Levi Sanders, the 48-year-old son of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), announced Monday he is entering the race for an open House seat in New Hampshire's 1st congressional district.

"This is a unique opportunity to listen to the hard-working men and women of New Hampshire about the issues that matter to them," Sanders, a legal services analyst, told WMUR. The incumbent, Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, is retiring, and Sanders is now the eighth Democrat vying for the seat; there are also three Republicans and one Libertarian in the race.

Sanders said he would like to see a "Medicare-for-all health care system," a higher minimum wage, tuition-free college, "sensible gun legislation," and equal pay for women. He hasn't held elected office before, but he served as a senior adviser to his father's 2016 presidential campaign. Sanders lives in Claremont, which is in New Hampshire's 2nd district, and he isn't the only candidate in the family: His stepsister, Carina Driscoll, is running for mayor of Burlington, Vermont, a position Bernie Sanders held for eight years.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.