Bernie Sanders Spotted In Midwood This Afternoon

Following a big win in the New Hampshire primary, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders toured his old stomping grounds in Midwood Wednesday for an interview with CBS News.

The famously curmudgeonly Vermont Senator, who walloped his Democratic opponent Hilary Clinton at the polls Tuesday, was spotted by neighbors stalking the streets along Kings Highway — where he grew up. Sanders wasn’t just in town for a victory lap, or to score some Brooklyn pizza, he was trailed by news crews working on a profile piece for CBS.

Photographs of the senator walking beside CBS’ Scott Pelley were posted to Twitter this afternoon. The interview is expected to broadcast tonight at 6:30pm.

Sanders was also spotted coming out of Memo Shish Kebab at Kings Highway and East 19th Street.

Marianne Salatandre, a cashier at the restaurant, said Sanders seemed very comfortable, like any other Brooklyn neighbor, when he stopped by around 2pm.

“He was a very sweet, charming man,” she said. “He was beyond a gentleman.”

Salatandre said the senator snacked on a lamb sandwich and some mixed kebabs for lunch.

Sanders grew up in a prewar apartment building on East 26th Street, near Kings Highway, and attended James Madison High School, according to the New York Times. He later went to Brooklyn College and then transferred to the University of Chicago.

However, it wasn’t until Sanders moved to Vermont that he began his career in politics. He ran for mayor of Burlington, the state’s largest city, and eked out a victory in 1981 — winning by a mere 10 votes, according to the candidate’s website.

Now the longest-serving independent senator in Congress, Sanders is running for president on a Democratic ticket. His campaign has seen a groundswell of support around his populist rhetoric and calls for greater income equality.

It’s worth noting that Sanders turned down an invite from the Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association last year to speak at James Madison High School about the corrupting influence of money in politics. Sanders often touts that his campaign has not accepted donations from wealthy corporate interests.

Well, better late than never. Welcome home, Bernie.

Update [February 10, 9:30pm]: Watch Bernie Sanders describe his Brooklyn upbringing to CBS here.