A Big Change for Bernie Sanders?

The letter behind U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ name has changed from a “D” to an “I” on Wednesday.

Perhaps his “contractual obligations” to Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee were completed on Tuesday. Or, maybe he’s signalling to his supporters that he’s abandoning the party that—according to emails released by WikiLeaks prior to the start of this week’s Democratic National Convention—colluded to prevent him from winning the presidential nomination.

While the timing is certainly interesting, the move itself was far from unexpected. Sanders has spent the vast majority of his 40-year career in politics as an independent because his positions are often to the left of the Democratic Party.

In the U.S. Senate, he caucuses with the Democrats, even though he is an Independent.

Ironically, Sanders’ move could be seen as somewhat of a vindication for the DNC and its former chairwoman, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. According to the emails released by WikiLeaks, Wasserman Schultz and party officials were concerned about his lack of longstanding ties to the Democratic cause.