Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) said in an interview on Sunday night that he will run for reelection in 2018 as an independent candidate.

That announcement was made during an interview with the Concord Monitor after Sanders energized Democratic activists in a Rollinsford, N.H. American Legion hall.

The senator pushed aside any rumor—or even hope from some Democrats—that he would run as a Democrat in 2018.

"I am an independent, and I have always run in Vermont as an independent, while I caucus with the Democrats in the United States Senate," Sanders said in the interview. "That’s what I've been doing for a long time and that's what I'll continue to do."

It was Sanders' second trip to the crucial presidential primary state in less than two months, fueling speculation he could make a run for the White House again in 2020.

In Sunday's speech, the Vermont senator covered ground on some of his signature positions and highlighted them in terms evocative of a presidential candidate.

When speaking of his single payer "Medicare for All" plan, which has gained increasing popularity on the left, he highlighted that when he first introduced the legislation, "I had one co-sponsor. Me."

Sanders, despite being called "a leader of the Democratic Party," and going on a "unity tour" with DNC chairman Tom Perez, has frequently insulted the Democratic Party and rejected calls to join it.