U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is making stops in the Granite State Monday as he continues to flirt with the idea of whether to run in next year’s presidential race.
The Senator says having the funds to support a competitive campaign is one of the major issues holding him back.
“That’s not an easy decision and if I do it, I want to do it well," Sanders told NHPR Monday. "And we are also trying to determine whether or not we can raise the very substantial sums of money one needs in this day in and age to run a campaign against people who have unlimited sums of money,” he said.
He is also still figuring out whether to chase the Democratic or Independent nomination if he does run.
But what Sanders is more certain of, he said, is the issues.
“You have a grotesque level of income and wealth inequality, real unemployment is at 11 percent. You have a Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which allows billionaires to buy elections, and you have the planetary crisis of climate change,” he said.
College affordability is also a major priority, he said.
But the Senator would not comment on the recent email scandal surrounding possible Democratic contender, Hillary Clinton, adding that these kind of rumors only steer voters away from the real issues.
Although Sanders has yet to officially announce his candidacy, he said he will be back in New Hampshire regularly over the next year.
Possible Republican candidates Jeb Bush, Scott Walker and Ted Cruz have also stopped in New Hampshire recently.
