Party affiliation since 2015
In November 2015, Sanders announced that he would be a Democrat from then on, and will run in any future elections as a Democrat.[177][178][179] On February 4, 2016, Sanders said, "Of course I am a Democrat and running for the Democratic nomination."[180] In 2016, many additional sources, such as PBS,[181] The Wall Street Journal,[182] and CBS News[183] described Sanders as a Democrat.
The United States Senate website includes pages that refer to Sanders as an Independent[184] as well as pages that refer to him as a Democrat. Some of the pages calling him a Democrat are dated before 2015, possibly in error or in reference to his caucusing with the Democrats, not his later-declared affiliation.[185] In 2016, his official Senate press releases still referred to him as an Independent,[186][187] or omitted party affiliation.[188]