US Senator Bernie Sanders leaving door open on 2020: Report

(L to R) US Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) looks on as US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks about health care on Capitol Hill, June 26, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP)

US Senator Bernie Sanders, who created a populous movement during the 2016 Democratic primary campaign but eventually lost to Hillary Clinton, is leaving the door open on 2020.

The Independent senator from Vermont had begun discussions about running for president in 2020, sources told The Hill in a report published on Sunday.

When asked whether Sanders is thinking about another run, one Sanders associate who helped with the senator’s previous attempt said, “Yes, is the answer.”

“He thinks he's earned the right to run again, and he believes if he would have been the [Democratic] candidate he would have won against Trump,” the person said.

The Sanders associate also said that Sanders is planning while keeping other candidates in mind.

“The last thing he's going to do is step aside and let Joe Biden take it,” he said. Biden, the former vice president, also reportedly could decide to run for 2020.

During the 2016 primaries, Sanders ran a close race with Clinton and promised to continue the fight all the way until the Democratic National Convention in June, where the party’s nominee was going to be named.

Former Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton listens as rival and US Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at a presidential primary debate in Flint, Michigan, March 6, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)

Towards the end of the race, however, Sanders changed his tone and bowed out in favor of Clinton, who went on to lose the November 8 presidential election to Trump.  

According to WikiLeaks, Trump won the election because Democrats rigged the system to have Clinton beat Sanders.

Sanders could have won the election but the Democratic National Committee (DNC) stopped him from doing so by pushing him out from the primary race, the whistleblowing agency suggested following the 2016 election.

In addition, various polls also suggested that Sanders would have defeated Trump in the presidential election by a large margin if he had been the Democratic presidential nominee instead of Clinton.

Although Sanders hasn’t publicly said if he intends to run for president again, but his recent actions suggest that he might be planning a rerun.

The 75-year-old traveled to Iowa earlier this month for the first time since losing the state’s caucuses to Clinton during the Democratic primary, and delivered a keynote address at an event. 

He will again visit the state next month to promote his book, “Bernie Sanders: Guide to Political Revolution.”  

Jeff Weaver served as Sanders's campaign manager during his 2016 presidential bid. He said Sanders is “keeping the door open” for a second shot at the White House.

Larry Cohen, a senior adviser to Sanders campaign, welcomed the reports that Sanders might run again for president.  “I can speak for the millions of people who supported him in saying we would love it if he runs again, and we’re hopeful he’ll run again.”  

Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump is flanked by members of his family as he addresses supporters at his election night rally in Manhattan, New York, November 9, 2016. (Photo by Reuters) 

Numerous polls taken before the 2016 presidential election showed that Clinton and Trump were deeply unpopular politicians, while Sanders enjoyed very high popularity.

Clinton, a former first lady, US senator and secretary of state, was viewed by many voters as a corrupt member of the elite Washington establishment.

Emails released by Wikileaks have revealed that officials from the DNC sought to undermine Sanders’s bid to win the nomination.