Bernie Sanders for president? He says he’ll decide by March if he’s running, Associated Press reported Friday.
The Vermont senator, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, told AP he would not run simply to get a liberal voice into the debate.
"I don't want to do it unless I can do it well," he told AP. "I don't want to do it unless we can win this thing."
The Democratic left is eager for someone to run, fearing frontrunner Hillary Clinton won’t entirely share their views. Progressive activists have been urging Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to enter the Democratic race, but she said she’s not running. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is considered friendly to liberal interests, and is considering a run. Sanders said he could run as an independent or a Democrat.
Sanders, who has recently visited Iowa to tout his agenda, has been a consistently strong voice for easing income inequality.
"A lack of money in my family was a very significant aspect of my growing up ... kids in my class would have new jackets, new coats, and I would get hand-me-downs," Sanders told AP. A senator since 2007, he has advocated higher taxes on the wealthy and on corporations, money that would help fund job-creating programs.