Bernie Sanders needs a protégé

It's dangerous for a political movement to rely so heavily on one prominent leader

If Bernie Sanders were to take power in 2021, he would be 79, with a 5.3 percent chance of dying.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

For the whole of 2017, Bernie Sanders has reliably measured as the most popular politician in America, by a considerable margin. So far he has used that newfound influence to fight President Trump's agenda, promote left-wing ideas like Medicare for all, and campaign on behalf of left-wing candidates for office. He's also founded a political organization and a think tank.

Will he be satisfied by this? Speculation is growing that he might run for president again, as Matt Yglesias argues. If the last couple years of political history has taught me anything, it's that attempting to handicap elections is a mug's game. But one thing is clear: Whatever he is going to do, Sanders needs a political protégé or two.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.