Sen. Bernie Sanders has not decided whether he will enter the 2016 presidential race, but he was anything but indecisive in asserting on Thursday that there is a need for a "political revolution" on behalf of the working people in the United States.
"I've known him for many years. I believe in my very heart that we need a political revolution in this country, because virtually all political power rests with very wealthy people. And I see in Chuy Garcia a candidate putting together the coalition to fight that," the self-avowed socialist senator
told Bloomberg News columnist Dave Weigel on why he was endorsing Garcia in his race to unseat Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Sanders said he also will campaign on behalf of 10th Ward City Council candidate Susan Sadlowski Garza in the final days before Chicago's Tuesday election.
"At a time when the wealthiest people and largest corporations are becoming richer while virtually everyone else is becoming poorer, working-class people have got to fight back. And that is what the campaigns of Chuy and Susan are all about," he
told NBC Chicago.
Sanders, 73, was taking a brief break from the hectic four-state listening tour the Vermont senator is on as he weighs a potential run for president.
"If I fall asleep up there the reason is that I was in L.A. and I was in Las Vegas and I was in Texas and here now. We have just had huge turnouts. What I am trying to ascertain: whether or not there is the support all over the country for a movement like this," he
told The Washington Post in an interview.
While Sanders has not decided whether he is running or whether he will run as a Democrat or an Independent, he is clear that he will not play the role of spoiler who will help elect a Republican to the presidency.
"If you run within the Democratic Caucus, there are a lot of people who would say, 'why did you participate in a party that doesn't stand for very much?' On the other hand, you would be in the debates, get more media attention. But no matter what I do, I will not play the role of a spoiler who ends up helping to elect a right-wing Republican," he said in an
interview with Mother Jones.
Unlike many of the other potential presidential candidates of either party, Sanders has said he does not have a burning desire to run for office, but believes there is a growing movement that is seeking an alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties.
"It's not because I wake up every morning and say, 'boy, I really have this burning desire to be president of the United States,'" Sanders said during a March 9 speech at the National Press Club.
Watch the video here.