Bernie Sanders’ chances of becoming US president diminish by the second – but there could be one leadership role still open to the Sanders clan.
The departure of the long-suffering leader of the UK Green Party has left an opening which Larry Sanders, the Vermont senator’s older brother, could try to seize for himself.
Natalie Bennett, the gaffe-prone former leader, announced last week that she would stand down after four years in the top spot – leaving the field wide open.
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Sanders Snr, currently in charge of the party’s health policy, has a clear tilt at the top spot provided he secures sufficient nominations then comes top in a poll of party members.
He also adorably refers to his brother as Bernard – as in this recent radio interview:
Should @BernieSanders call it a day so @TheDemocrats unify behind @HillaryClinton? No way says brother Larry Sanders https://t.co/S022nbumyd
— BBC R4 World Tonight (@BBCWorldTonight) May 19, 2016
In the last leadership contest, held in 2014, Bennett stood unopposed, meaning few figures have experience campaigning for the leadership.
A recent runners and riders list by the Left Foot Forward website did not mention Sanders – and instead floated Caroline Lucas, the party’s only Member of Parliament.
But Lucas stood down from the role in 2012, and the article confesses there is a “paucity of clear front-runners”.
Critics of a Sanders ascendancy may point out that Sanders Snr is not a native Briton, has never been an MP and as recently as this month failed to get elected even as a local councillor in his Oxford neighborhood.
Natalie Bennett Stands Down: Ex-Green Leader's Greatest Gaffes.https://t.co/pgGy4Xn2J6 pic.twitter.com/s2RlqeJMyj
— Newsweek Europe (@NewsweekEurope) May 16, 2016
However, Bennett, an Australian, herself had an even sparser electoral record.
While she has never held public office, Sanders Snr has.
The politico has an eight-year stint on Oxfordshire City Council under his belt, running from 2005-2013.
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With the rise of Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour party, there is also an undeniable vogue on the British Left for leadership by aging white men.
And it is not beyond the realms of possibility to think he could call on his celebrity brother for an electoral push.
With Hillary Clinton all but guaranteed the Democratic nomination at the end of July, Bernie Sanders and his army of activists will find themselves suddenly free.
Sanders Jr would find little to do in the Senate, which is not in session, but could make use of his knack for large rallies helping to get the vote out for his brother, whose (as-yet hypothetical) campaign period would run through to late August.
At least one side of the Atlantic could Feel the Bern yet.
Heat Street has contacted Mr Sanders for comment on any leadership ambitions.
