Campaign season for the 2016 Presidential election is in full swing, bringing with it the political fervor that grips the nation every four years. The buildup to next year’s Voting Day is already bursting with unprecedented occurrences—the paradox of Donald Trump, the seemingly eternal Clinton email scandal, the neurology-centric blusters of Ben Carson, and, of course, the Bern.

A year ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find many in the general American population who staunchly supported (or had even heard of) longstanding Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. As the longest-serving independent in US congressional history, Sanders was apparently just another version of Ralph Nader or Ron Paul when it came to presidential chances. That is to say, certainly an interesting individual to listen to, but primarily portrayed as a fringe politician in the mainstream media. However, over the past few months, the unlikely has slowly become reality: Bernie Sanders is actually doing some damage in the polls. In Iowa and New Hampshire, he’s gained the lead in polls over clear Democratic Party front-runner Hilary Clinton. Whichever way you look at it, Bernie-mania has steadily gained steam as the 2016 campaign has progressed.

The thing is, Bernie Sanders should absolutely be looked upon as a serious candidate for the position as President of the United States. His political resumé is certainly more impressive than other legitimate contenders (I’m looking at you Trump and Carson).

A self-designated Democratic Socialist, Bernie Sanders has been a leading progressive advocateconcerning issues including civil rights, income inequality, universal healthcare, climate change, campaign reform, and LGBT equality. He was strongly critical of the USA’s involvement in the Iraq War, and opposes controversial mass surveillance initiatives such as the infamous PATRIOT Act. Additionally (and quite admirably), he doesn’t accept Super PAC funding for his campaign, instead relying on small individual donations from the general public. And for all my fellow poor college kids out there, he is in favor of eliminating student debt in the USA. Basically, Sanders is the dream candidate for every liberal American.

Yet, the sobering truth is that Bernie Sanders likely stands no chance of becoming the next President of the United States. Indeed, statisticians have calculated that Sanders’ campaign will probably follow the path of Bill Bradley’s 2000 presidential bid. Seen as a more liberal alternative to Al Gore, Bradley kept it close in small states with considerable populations of white liberals. Which ones? You guessed it, New Hampshire and Iowa. Going up against an established name like Hillary Clinton is no easy task, and it’s made even more difficult by the fact that Sanders is still largely dismissed as a classic long shot by the public and mainstream media.

Thus, barring a titanic catastrophe in the Hillary campaign, Sanders will mathematically lose out on the Democratic ticket for the 2016 election. It reflects poorly upon the political climate of America that a viable presidential candidate such as Sanders isn’t supposed to come even close to challenging Clinton in the long run. If Hillary (or the somehow relevant Jeb Bush) succeeds in winning the presidency, four out of the previous five American presidents will have been a member of either the Bush family of the Clinton family.

When did America, a country founded upon the basic principles of freedom and equality, evolve into a nepotist oligarchy? It’s simply ludicrous that we cannot pass the torch—or even legitimately consider passing the torch—onto other worthy candidates. At the end of the day, I’m not saying that Bernie Sanders deserves to win the presidency; I’m simply saying that he deserves a genuine shot.