Sanders: We'll have enough money to compete

Bernie Sanders says one thing nearly kept him out of the presidential race: money.

That said, the independent senator from Vermont told a breakfast meeting of reporters Thursday he's confident he'll have enough money to compete against the well-funded Hillary Clinton and other opponents in next year's Democratic nomination contest.

"We have momentum," Sanders said. "I'm in this election to win."

His agenda is built around addressing the "40-year decline" in the American middle class, mirrored by the "grotesque" growth in money  for "1%" of Americans and record levels of income inequality.

"This inequality is, in my view, immoral," Sanders said. "It is unsustainable."

The Sanders agenda includes proposed legislation to guarantee paid maternity leave, paid sick leave, and at least 10 days of vacation per year for the nation's workers. While he complimented the Obama health care plan, Sanders said he wants guaranteed health care for all Americans.

One thing he won't have: a whole lot of money to spread these ideas.

As his campaign continues to gear up, Sanders said he currently has about 200,000 contributors at about $40 per person -- $8 million.

The Vermonter said he'll need about $40 million to $50 million to compete with Clinton in the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary and other early contests in 2016.

Sanders is doing relatively well in early polls, generally in second place ahead of Democratic opponents Martin O'Malley and Lincoln Chafee. All are well behind Clinton, whom Sanders  described as the "heavy favorite."

There won't a Bernie Sanders super PAC financing his campaign, and Sanders said he won't have any billionaire's money to fuel his effort. Sanders said he wouldn't accept funds from those kinds of sources anyway, though the self-proclaimed "Democratic socialist" acknowledged that's an easy pledge for him to make.

"I wouldn't get their money even if I wanted it," Sanders said.