Last fall, Senator Bernie Sanders was seen at a Castleton football game playing catch with children, talking to adults and cheering on the Spartans. The crowd buzzed with the speculation he might be running for president in 2016, but at the time he was a relatively unknown senator from Vermont.

Even when he declared his candidacy this spring, he was regarded as a longshot for the nomination with just a small following of liberal college students and democratic socialists. Now, not even a year later, Sanders has taken over Hillary Clinton in both Iowa and New Hampshire polls and “Feel the Bern” stickers are plastered on cars across the nation. While the primaries are still several months away, Bernie has a real shot at winning the nomination and even a chance at becoming the second US president from Vermont.

            The cool thing about Bernie is that you don’t have to agree with all of his plans to like him. He’s got a lot of extreme ideas, but they are mostly for the public good. He wants to make tuition to public colleges and universities free. Yes, please. He supports marriage equality. So do most Americans, and now the Supreme Court. And he’s not some corporate puppet or distant politician. He’s a Vermonter who talks with his supporters, cares about the people and want to give Americans what they need, not just what he or the top one percent want.

            Bernie is also a man of his word. Some of his economic policies might be a little outrageous, but I can put that aside for the idea of a president who is honest and real. Someone who isn’t controlled by corporate giants and changes his point of view every time someone gets offended. He marched for civil rights in college proving he’s been supporting equality since before equality was cool. Bernie also supports Veteran’s affairs and sought in congress to fund health programs for veterans.

            I’m not a die-hard Bernie supporter. I’m not even from Vermont. But I think America needs a president who they can relate to. We need someone who cares about our education, and our health care and our paychecks. Realistically, no candidate does everything they promise while campaigning. You might not agree with everything Bernie says, but honestly he probably won’t get everything he says passed through congress if elected. He will, however, remain a man who cares and fights for the people. After all, isn’t it more important to like the person and their values than to agree with every word they say?