Coming into this primary season, it seemed as though Hillary Clinton would have little to no resistance in securing the Democratic Party nomination. However, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has come out of nowhere to challenge Clinton with a staunch support base that’s even created a line of underwear sporting his campaign motto: “Feel The Bern.”

Well, it at least feels like Sanders has come out of nowhere. But truth be told, he’s served at nearly every level of government, and has been fiercely involved in public policy dating back to his college days.

InsideGov dug through Sanders’ history and found 25 facts about him and his 2016 presidential campaign that every Democrat should know before heading into the primary polls. And who knows — maybe the Republicans should bone up on their Bernie knowledge, too. It’s not as if Clinton hasn’t faltered in the primary race before.

#25. Sanders has more grassroots supporters than Obama had in 2008.

By the end of September 2015, 650,000 U.S. citizens contributed to Sanders’ campaign. That’s almost double the amount that Obama had at that point in 2007 prior to his successful presidential campaign.

#24. Sanders wants to tax carbon.

“Averting a planetary disaster will require a major reduction in the burning of coal, oil, and other fossil fuels,” Sanders wrote in a 2014 piece for the Huffington Post. Sanders opined that a carbon tax is “the most straightforward and efficient strategy for quickly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

#23. Sanders would be the oldest president ever elected.

Sanders will be 75 by November 2016. The oldest president to win a four-year term is Ronald Reagan, who was 73 when he was elected to his second term in 1984.

Incidentally, Hillary Clinton will be 69 on the day of the general election. Only Reagan was older when he was first elected.

#22. Sanders would be the first Jewish president in U.S. history.

There has never been a Jewish vice president, either. The first Jewish candidate to appear on a major American political party presidential ticket was Joe Lieberman, who ran as Al Gore’s vice president in 2000.

#21. Sanders was a sloppy student.

The dean at the University of Chicago, where Sanders attended for undergraduate studies, once asked Sanders to take a year off after his grades slipped.

#20. Sanders ranks second in overall campaign fundraising…

As of Oct. 15, Sanders ranks second in total fundraising and fourth in campaign spending. He has over $27 million cash on hand for his campaign.

#19. …and his official election committee ranks first in fundraising.

Sanders famously rejects money from super PACs due to his opposition to big-money donors. However, as of Sept. 30, he’s still managed to raise more than $41.5 million from his official Bernie 2016 committee — more than any non-super PAC.

#18. Small individual contributions comprise over 75 percent of his fundraising.

Small individual contributions, which constitute donations of $200 or less, make up 77 percent of Sanders’ fundraising. That’s the most of any candidate.

#17. Eight of Sanders’ top nine contributors are unions.

The Sheet Metal Workers Union is his top contributor ($27,500), according to OpenSecrets. The Communication Workers of America ($23,000) and the American Postal Workers Union ($20,000) are also in the top five.

#16. Sanders has raised over $6 million in Los Angeles County.

Sanders has found the most fundraising success in Southern California, Florida and New England. He’s also raised nearly $1.5 million in San Francisco County, as of Oct. 15.

#15. Sanders has raised about $230,000 per day since announcing his candidacy.

That’s second among all presidential candidates as of Oct. 15, behind only Hillary Clinton.

#14. Sanders has lost six major elections.

That includes several unsuccessful attempts for office over a span of nine years before becoming Burlington’s mayor in 1981. That victory started the first of four successful two-year terms in the mayor’s office.

The six losses do not include Sanders’ defeat in his bid for high school class president in the late 1950s.

#13. Sanders served eight consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Between 1991-2007, Sanders won eight elections to serve as a representative from Vermont.

#12. Sanders favors legalizing marijuana.

Sanders recently mentioned during a speech that he favored removing the federal prohibition on marijuana. That led to the creation of the adjacent Vine, which has to be one of the leading contenders for 2015’s Vine of the Year.

#11. Sanders has more experience than all but three candidates.

When you combine the candidates’ experience in education, the military, the private sector, Congress and other relevant fields, Sanders ranks behind only Lindsey Graham, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

#10. Sanders is a confident speaker.

In the first Democratic debate, Sanders stuttered over his words the fewest of any major candidate. And considering he got more talk time than Lincoln Chafee, one could easily argue he was the most concise speaker on the stage.

#9. Sanders likes to dominate the debate stage.

The prior fact is even more impressive when you consider Sanders had the most speaking time of any Democratic candidate in the first debate on Oct. 13. That earnest approach could benefit Sanders as the primary race heats up, and has already paid dividends by one measure…

#8. Sanders won the Google war in the second Democratic debate.

Throughout the second Democratic debate on Nov. 14, more people searched for information on Sanders via Google than Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley.

#7. Sanders was arrested in 1963.

During the Civil Rights Movement, Sanders participated in Chicago protests for racial equality. In 1963, he was arrested during one of these demonstrations for protesting the city’s segregated schools.

#6. Planned Parenthood loves Sanders. The Chamber of Commerce hates him.

No conservative interest group on the adjacent chart gives Sanders a rating above 13 percent. The only liberal interest groups that rate Sanders below 80 percent are the Animal Welfare Institute (50 percent) and Peace Action West (67 percent).

#5. Sanders wants to change the bureaucratic process of the U.S. government.

Sanders has been discouraged by the bureaucracy involved in U.S. politics for years now, as this 2005 Rolling Stone profile shows in great detail. So it should come as no surprise that of the 26 bills Sanders has sponsored in the 114th Congress, four have been focused on amending policies about government operations.

#4. Sanders has gained 100,000 Twitter followers in the last month.

The spike in followers has been largely fueled by a sharp increase since the second Democratic debate on Nov. 14. In the six ensuing days, Sanders gained nearly 50,000 followers on Twitter.

#3. Sanders has a real chance to win New Hampshire…

Sanders and Clinton have gone back and forth in New Hampshire since late August, when Sanders took his first lead in the polls there. As of Nov. 18, he trails Clinton by eight points in the Granite State. But the polls have fluctuated quite a bit over the last three months alone.

#2. …and has almost no shot in Iowa.

New Hampshire will be huge for Sanders, because he’s buried in Iowa.

After tying Clinton in Iowa in September, she’s opened up a 24-point lead in the state as of Nov. 18.

#1. Sanders still has a long way to go in the polls.

Though Sanders has seen his poll numbers steadily rise since he announced his candidacy, he still has a long way to go to catch up to Hillary Clinton. The former Secretary of State bottomed out around 40 percent in late September, but is polling at 55 percent as of Nov. 19. Sanders, meanwhile, is hovering around 33 percent.

Can the self-proclaimed socialist gain more momentum in the next few months, or is he destined to be a second banana to the establishment candidate in Clinton?

Explore More Presidential Candidate Profiles