“Will the big money interests and highly paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign? Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing? Do they have any idea how we can take on the increasingly powerful oligarchy that has so much economic and political power? Probably not.”

Ms Sanders was re-elected on Tuesday to a fourth six-year term in the Senate.

‘I will work as hard as I can’

He defeated Republican Gerald Malloy, a U.S. Army veteran and businessman. Also on the ballot were independent candidate Steve Berry, as well as minor party candidates Mark Stewart Greenstein, Matt Hill and Justin Schoville.

The 83-year-old is a self-described democratic socialist who caucused with Democrats and twice came close to winning the presidential nomination. More recently, he has worked closely with the Biden administration to shape its domestic policy goals on health care, education, child care and workers’ rights. He is the longest-serving independent in Congress.

In his victory speech on Tuesday, Sanders said he and his wife Jane were deeply grateful for the generosity and support they have received from people across the state.

“So, Vermont, thank you very much and I promise you will work as hard as you can to protect the interests of our state and our country,” Sanders said, according to WCAX-TV.

Sanders said he is running for reelection because the country faces some of the toughest and most serious challenges of modern times. He described these as threats to democratic foundations, massive income and wealth inequality, climate change and challenges to women’s ability to control their own bodies.

“With my seniority and my experience, I just didn’t feel like I could leave Vermont, as Vermont’s representative, at this difficult moment in American history,” he said during a recent WCAX-TV debate.

Mr. Sanders is a strong critic of Trump and endorsed Ms. Harris after Joe Biden dropped out of the race. He strongly disagrees with Mr Biden over aid to Israel’s years-long war with Hamas and has sought to block US arms sales to Israel.