Sanders is a Senator. Are we defining Senators as local, now?

Why wouldn't we, in a country with a population of about 230 million people, about half a million are qualified to actually run for office there, because you have to live in Vermont.

This is the problem. Why isn’t there?

Why aren't there 2 in every state is the real question. I'd say among the issues is, 1. again senator isn't entry level, So people who Bernie reached in his 2016 presidential bid, are still getting their feet in the door, pushing through the beurocracy and the pacs trying to keep them from getting elected to lower offices etc...

and yeah a lot of it is to be blamed on us the voters, that there's not enough of us showing up for the primaries. and just not enough people that want to do good, that are taking the swim into politics.

Really that's probably the key problem on the whole. Politics as a whole is a really tough career field to get into, and it's very analogous to starting a business. You need to spend a ton of money and survive with 100% of your time being devoted to trying to start, with only a possible chance of eventually making money IF you can somehow stay afloat for a year with no income. Which sadly is why it creates this world where 99% of people making it through politics are nepo babies and people who have already sold their loyalty to big money.