Vermonters call him “Bernie” — and have from the moment Brooklyn-born Bernard Sanders entered public life more than four decades ago. In that time, the wild-haired pol has evolved from an also-ran candidate on the fringes of Green Mountain politics to a virtually unbeatable, two-term U.S. senator. Along his unlikely journey, Sanders lost six races for statewide office, but won four as mayor of Burlington and eight as Vermont’s sole representative to the U.S. House.