He still feels the Bern — for Brooklyn and the presidency.
Vermont Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders’ camp is in talks with Brooklyn College about giving a major outdoor speech at the campus, fueling speculation that the rally there would be part of a rollout for a second presidential run.
The Flatbush native attended Brooklyn College for a year, not far from his childhood home, and his older brother, Larry, is a Brooklyn College graduate. He has kept close ties to the City University of New York school, having delivered the commencement speech there in 2017, when he received an honorary degree.
The rally would be delivered on the campus’ spacious quad, according to a source familiar with the planning. Brooklyn College President Michelle Anderson declined to comment.
The Sanders campaign had no immediate comment but one of his backers said, “You’re onto something.”
Sanders had a strong following among young progressive voters when he ran against Hillary Clinton in 2016, promoting a platform that included free tuition for students at public colleges and universal health care.
The Sanders camp has already recorded a video to announce a 2020 run and in recent weeks, Sanders has sent out a series of email blasts to supporters with campaign-style messages.
In a Valentine’s Day message, he asked supporters to sign a petition: “Add our name if you agree: instead of cutting taxes for corporations and some of the richest people in the history of the world, it’s time for a progressive tax system that benefits all of us, not just those at the top.”
On Feb. 9, he asked supporters to sign the “Green New Deal” to tackle climate change by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and converting to renewable energy such as wind and solar.
And on Feb. 9, he asked supporters to sign onto his Medicare for All plan to guarantee health insurance to all Americans.
Sanders, 77, lost a hard-fought Democratic primary in 2016 to Clinton, who then lost to Republican Donald Trump in the general election.
But this time around, Sanders would face a crowded field of Dems that includes younger fellow senators who are aggressively appealing to progressive, female and minority voters — including New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand, New Jersey’s Corey Booker, California’s Kamala Harris and Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren, among others.
New York pols have paid homage to Sanders. Mayor Bill de Blasio invited Sanders to swear him in to a second term and has spent time at the senator’s summer retreat.
And Gov. Andrew Cuomo had Sanders at his side when the governor proposed his Excelsior Scholarship program that guarantees free tuition to middle-income CUNY and SUNY students from family incomes of $125,000 or less.