Nicole Gaudiano

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON -- Bernie Sanders will now have a Senate leadership post to help further his “political revolution.”

The Vermont independent will be the chair of “outreach” for Senate Democrats next Congress, Senate Democratic Leader-elect Chuck Schumer of New York announced Wednesday. He will be the first independent to hold a party leadership position since the modern leadership structure began in the early 20th Century, according to the Senate Historical Office.

“Real change doesn’t take place on Capitol Hill," Sanders said in a statement. "It takes place in grassroots America. It takes place when millions of working people, young people and senior citizens come together to demand that our government works for all of us and not just the 1 percent. When the people lead, the leaders follow."

The former presidential candidate will also serve as the top-ranking minority member of the Senate Budget Committee. He said he will work to ensure the budget "represents the needs of working families and a shrinking middle class, not billionaires.”

Speaking at George Washington University Wednesday night, Sanders said he aims to use new leadership role to expand Democrats' grassroot efforts.

“I was named today part of the leadership, I think my title is to head of outreach efforts and that is something that I take very seriously," he said, "so I think again whether it’s the Supreme Court, the fight against bigotry, the fight for climate change our job is to bring millions of people together.”

During a Nov. 10 interview with USA TODAY, Sanders called for Democrats to get out of D.C. and engage working people following Democrat Hillary Clinton’s loss of the presidential race to Republican Donald Trump. Sanders said the party must put equal energy into mobilizing grassroots support outside the Washington beltway as it puts into work inside the beltway.

“The Democratic Party has got to make it very clear that it is the party of working people in 50 states in this country, not just in New York and California,” he said then. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Sanders position is a new one, representing half of the "Steering and Outreach Committee" now chaired by Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Klobuchar will chair the steering committee next Congress.

Sanders: Democrats must get out of D.C. to engage working people

Bernie Sanders defied expectations with long-shot presidential campaign

Sanders beat expectations with his long-shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, winning more than 13 million votes and 22 states, and raising millions from about 2.5 million donors mostly through small-dollar contributions online.

Sanders caucuses with Democrats but has said he will continue to serve Vermont as an independent because he was elected with that affiliation. Even so, he said support for his primary campaign earned him a role in reshaping the Democratic Party.

“In almost every instance, we got a strong majority of young people voting for the agenda that I brought forth,” he said. “My role in the future is to make certain that that agenda that has so much support becomes the agenda of the Democratic Party.”

Bernie Sanders' party affiliation? Not a simple question

Contributing: Dan Waldman

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