Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is running for a fourth term in the Senate, he announced Monday, likely cementing the longtime progressive for the coming years in the upper chamber. "This is the most important national election in our lifetimes," Sanders said in a statement. "We must fight to make sure that we remain a democracy, not an authoritarian society. We must fight to make sure that we have a government which represents the working families of our country, not the billionaire class and wealthy campaign contributors. We must fight to make sure that women can control their own bodies, and that we save the planet from the ravages of climate change. The stakes are enormous. This is an election we must not lose." Sanders, 82, is the second-oldest member of the upper chamber behind only Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa.), and others around his age have made plans to depart. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is leaving his post atop the GOP conference at the end of the year and has said he will not run for another term in 2026. Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Joe Manchin have all said they will retire at the end of this year.  The decision will in all likelihood keep Sanders in his seat for the foreseeable future. The self-described democratic socialist has handily won all three of his Senate races, including his 2018 contest by a 40-point margin. It also means he will continue to wield the increased power and influence that has come in the wake of his two bids for the Democratic presidential nomination and through his post as chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The Vermont independent has served more than 40 years in public office. On top of his three terms in the upper chamber, Sanders was a House member for eight terms and held the position of mayor of Burlington, Vt., throughout most of the 1980s. His operation has spawned a number of acolytes, including members of the "squad” in the House, while he kept up his disdain for the nation's billionaires and wealthiest earners. Sanders has made waves in recent months as one of the foremost critic on the left of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza. He has consistently called for the Biden administration and Congress to cut off unconditional aid for what he has labeled “Netanyahu’s war machine.”  Last month, he voted against the $95 billion foreign aid package and cited the money included for Israel.  “U.S. taxpayers should not be providing billions more to the extremist Netanyahu government to continue its devastating war against the Palestinian people,” Sanders said in his statement at the time.  “The housing in Gaza is destroyed; the infrastructure in Gaza is destroyed; the health care system in Gaza is destroyed; the educational system in Gaza is destroyed,” he continued. “Enough is enough. No more money for Netanyahu’s war machine.”