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Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, will announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, NBC News confirms.

Vermont Public Radio first reported the news of Sanders' coming announcement.

Sanders is expected to release a statement Thursday and hold a kickoff event in Vermont later next month, VPR reported.

Sanders will be the second Democrat to officially jump in the race. He will challenge Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who leads all of her potential Democratic challengers by wide margins in public opinion polls.

— Mark Murray