Nicole Gaudiano

Burlington Free Press

WASHINGTON -- Shannon Jackson was an intern in Bernie Sanders’ office when he first volunteered to pick up the senator at the airport.

For the rest of that summer in 2009, Jackson was the Vermont senator’s driver. Now, the 27-year-old from Essex, who has worked full-time for Sanders since 2012, is getting a promotion. He’ll direct a new organization focused on keeping Sanders’ “political revolution” going.

That organization, called Our Revolution, will help recruit, train and fund progressive candidates’ campaigns. Board members of Our Revolution and the education-focused Sanders Institute will include some “old hands.” But they’ll be led by several people under 30 who played integral roles on Sanders’ campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, said Jane Sanders, the senator’s wife and adviser who will oversee the groups.

“The campaign really captured the imagination of young people,” she said. “They (the staffers) were a big part of it. How could they not be part of planning for the future?”

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Nearly 24,000 people have signed up on Sanders' website for information about running for office or helping people run for office in response to a June 16 video address in which Sanders urged his supporters to take action. Jackson said the mission of Our Revolution is to use the energy from the campaign to get people involved in continuing Sanders’ fight for progressive issues.

“I think it’s important to recognize how, not just the senator, but everyone who’s been a part of this movement wants something real to come next,” he said.

Staff members and other aspects of the organizations are still being developed. But the goal is to get them up and running the next few weeks.

“We really don’t want to have any lull,” Jackson said. “We want to keep this going.”

Promotion from within isn’t unusual for the Sanders team. Jane Sanders noted that Jeff Weaver, who managed the presidential campaign, began as a driver for Sanders’ campaigns when he was about Jackson’s age.

“We take it to the Nth level,” she said of Sanders’ in-house hiring practices.

Jackson traveled everywhere with Sanders during this year’s campaign. His family still lives in Essex but he laughed when asked if he still considers Essex his home.

“I’ve been on the road for the past year, so it’s been difficult to say what’s home,” said Jackson, who will move back into his D.C. apartment in August.

Jackson grew up admiring Sanders, starting when the progressive politician served in the House and continuing when he became a senator. Jackson applied for the internship his sophomore year at the University of Maryland.

What did they discuss during long drives? The 2010 Affordable Care Act, for one thing. Sanders wanted Jackson’s perspective on the bill then being debated in Congress.

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“He’s not a fluff person,” Jackson said. “He doesn’t ask small questions.”

Jackson applied for a full-time job with Sanders after teaching in Thailand. He’s been on the Sanders team ever since, as a staff assistant, correspondence manager and budget analyst before becoming an adviser. Now that Sanders’ Secret Service detail has ended, Jackson has come full circle and is back to driving the senator around again.

Sanders’ run for the White House this year sparked thousands of applications for internships in his Senate office. Nabbing one of the positions is harder than getting intoa top-notch college, one staffer said.

Jackson recommends the work, which is no surprise. He knows best where it can lead.

Follow @ngaudiano on Twitter.