--- title: Bernie Sanders Wins TIME Person of the Year Poll description: Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has won the online readers' poll for TIME Person of the Year canonical: https://time.com/4137173/bernie-sanders-time-person-of-the-year-poll-win/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-07T11:00:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:41:34.287Z article:section: Politics og:title: Bernie Sanders Wins Readers' Poll for TIME Person of the Year og:description: Ahead of rivals and world leaders og:url: https://time.com/4137173/bernie-sanders-time-person-of-the-year-poll-win/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb731401d6ca72943/698873f30b72e38d566e7205/rtx1v7pt.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders waves as he walks onto the stage during the 20/20 Club Presidential Justice Forum at Allen University in Columbia og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bernie Sanders Wins Readers' Poll for TIME Person of the Year twitter:description: Ahead of rivals and world leaders twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb731401d6ca72943/698873f30b72e38d566e7205/rtx1v7pt.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bernie Sanders Wins Readers' Poll for TIME Person of the Year > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Watch the Democratic Debate in Less Than Four Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch the Democratic Debate in Less Than Four Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MP9tBH0u.m3u8) (4:00)  _Published 2015-10-14. In case you missed it_ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Dec 7, 2015 11:00 AM UTC  U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders waves as he walks onto the stage during the 20/20 Club Presidential Justice Forum at Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina Nov.21, 2015. U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders waves as he walks onto the stage during the 20/20 Club Presidential Justice Forum at Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina Nov.21, 2015. CHRIS KEANE—Reuters by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Dec 7, 2015 11:00 AM UTC Democratic presidential candidate [Bernie Sanders](http://time.com/4038080/the-gospel-of-bernie/) has [won the online readers’ poll for TIME Person of the Year](http://time.com/4110428/person-of-the-year-readers-poll-results-2015/), topping some of the world’s best-known politicians, activists and cultural figures as the most influential person of 2015 among those who voted. The Vermont Senator won with a little more than 10% of the vote when the poll closed Sunday at midnight. That’s well ahead of Pakistani girls’ education activist [Malala Yousafzai](http://time.com/3822637/malala-yousafzai-2015-time-100/), who was in second place at 5.2%, and Pope Francis, [TIME’s 2013 Person of the Year](http://poy.time.com/2013/12/11/person-of-the-year-pope-francis-the-peoples-pope/), who finished third with 3.7%. Sanders also placed far ahead President Obama (3.5%) and ahead other 2016 candidates, including Republican Donald Trump (1.8%) and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton (1.4%). [**See the full results of the poll here**](http://time.com/4110428/person-of-the-year-readers-poll-results-2015/) Sanders has helped define the presidential race, calling for big-ticket progressive items from single-payer healthcare to tuition-free public universities. He has mobilized the Democratic Party’s liberal base and inspired massive campaign rallies across the country. But he remains a distant second for the Democratic nomination in 2016, lagging more than 20% behind Clinton in national polls and overwhelmingly behind in support among Democratic members of Congress and party leaders. **MORE** [The Gospel of Bernie](http://time.com/4038080/the-gospel-of-bernie/) Sanders has said his goal is a political revolution that will reenergize the electorate and push big money out of politics. “A lot of people have given up on the political process, and I want to get them involved in it,” [Sanders told TIME in a September cover story](http://time.com/4038080/the-gospel-of-bernie/). “In this fight we are going to take on the greed of the billionaire class. And they are very, very powerful, and they’re going to fight back furiously. The only way to succeed is when millions of people stand up and decide to engage.” ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. Brian Snyder—Reuters No presidential candidate has been named Person of the Year prior to the end of the campaign, though a slew of presidential victors from Franklin Delano Roosevelt in (1932, 1934, and 1941), Ronald Reagan (1980, 1984) and Barack Obama (2008, 2012) have earned the distinction. TIME’s editors will choose the Person of the Year, the person TIME believes most influenced the news this year, for better or worse. The choice will be revealed Wednesday morning during NBC’s _Today_ show. ## Transcript Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Democratic candidates for President of the United States. [ APPLAUSE ] So I would change our approach to the Middle East. We need a new paradigm in the Middle East. I think being the first women President would be quite a change. Protect the main street economy from recklessness on Wall Street. I would push to separate out these too big to jail, too big to fail banks. When millions of people begin to come together, And stand up and say, our government is gonna work for all of us, not just a handful of billionaires. I would lead, working with both parties in the Congress, and working through them in the traditional way that our Constitution says. Senator Sanders, will you say anything to get elected? I think that, like most people that I know, I have a range of views, but they are rooted in my values and my experiences. [ MUSIC ] What democratic socialism is about, is saying that it is immoral and wrong that the top one tenth of one percent in this country own almost 90 %, almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 %. We need to separate the casino speculative mega bank gambling. We have to ensure with our money Me from the commercial backing, mainly reinstating glass [ UNKNOWN ]. And that's a huge difference on this stage among us as candidates. I did. I'm with both Senator Sanders and Governor O'Malley in putting a lot of attention onto the banks. And the plan that I have put forward would actually empower regulators. Is to break up big banks if we thought they posed a risk. But I wanna make sure we're gonna cover everybody. Not what caused the problem last time, but what could cause it next time. Senator, senator- Congress does not regulate Wall Street. Wall Street regulates Congress. There's no doubt that when Putin came back in and said he was going to be president, that did change the relationship. We have to stand up to his bullying and specifically in Syria. I will do everything that I can to make sure the United States does not get involved in another quagmire like we did in Iraq. The worst foreign policy blunder in the history of this country. I believe that as President I would, not be so quick to pull for a military tool, I believe that a no fly zone in Syria, this time actually, Secretary, would be a mistake. You have to enforce no fly zones, and I believe especially with the Russian airforce in the air it could lead to an escalation because of an accident, that we would deeply regret. [ MUSIC ] Do I think that a gun shop in the state of Vermont that sells legally a gun to somebody and that somebody goes out and does something crazy that that gun shop owner should be held responsible? I don't. Is Bernie Sanders tough enough on guns? No. Not at all. I think that we have to look at the fact that we lose 90 people a day from gun violence. This has gone on too long and it's time the entire country stood up against the NRA. On the other hand, where you have manufacturers and where you have gun shops, knowingly giving guns to criminals or aiding and abetting that, of course we should take action. It's fine to talk about all of these things and I'm glad we're talking about these things. But I've actually done them. It's time to stand up and pass comprehensive gun safety legislation as a nation. [ APPLAUSE ] The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails. Thank you. I'm not taking a backseat to anybody on my values, my principles. And the results that I get. When you have 11 million undocumented people in this country we need comprehensive immigration reform. If there would be a major difference between my administration and the Obama administration it would be in the use of executive authority. In this debate we tried to deal with some of the very tough issues facing our country. That's in stark contrast to the Republicans, who are currently running for President. 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