OXFORD, England (AP) – These are exciting times for Larry Sanders, a stalwart Green Party campaigner in Oxford, England. He’s just been appointed to a new job as his party’s national spokesman on health. And he’s helping out his little brother Bernie with a small electoral campaign on the other side of the Atlantic.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is an outsider who has far exceeded expectations as he battles Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. The left-wing senator has energized thousands of young supporters with his promise to transform the American economy, education and health care systems, and last week gained more momentum by winning the New Hampshire primary.
More than 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) away, his brother, a retired academic who has lived in Britain since 1969, finds himself a “sudden celebrity.”
“I was at a meeting the other day and when I stood up to ask a question, half the people in the audience started clapping,” Larry Sanders said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’ve been going to meetings for 40 years and no one’s ever applauded before.”
Sanders, who ran for a seat in Britain’s Parliament last year (he came fifth of seven candidates), has watched his brother’s growing success with emotions that swing from pride to disbelief.