In a crowded struggle to carry the torch in the fight against Donald Trump, it seems every Democrat and his or her distant cousin is running for US President: 22 major candidates have announced a bid thus far. Bernie Sanders is amongst them.

After what became a hotly-contested run against Hillary Clinton in 2016, the independent underdog was almost best in show, with Sanders unexpectedly winning crucial primaries in states that the eventual nominee went on to lose during the general election. Despite conceding to Clinton, the Vermont senator enjoyed momentum as an upstart, a socialist, a political unknown.

This time, Sanders has no such luxury. The American public know Bernie. A lot of them like him. But, with a 2020 bid that's less a moral stand against Clinton's alleged insiderism and more a serious hit for the White House, Sanders has to look the part of Mr President. And he is.

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Bernie Sanders delivers speech on healthcare at George Washington University, Washington DC

During a campaign stop in Washington DC, Sanders smartened up his act. This was a navy suit, the all-American kind, well-fitted with all the right details: a muted tie, Oxford shirt, and a golden lapel pin - a far cry from the cagoules and untied shirts that served as a stark contrast to Clinton's preened, poll-tested outfits.

The Democratic presidential primary of 2020 is not to be a binary decision, either. Sanders has competition on the left from other self-described progressives. He's not the only candidate to boast name recognition. And, in what may be his biggest threat, the 77-year-old is standing toe-to-toe against a man that's spent 46 years cultivating the idealised portrait of a president-in-waiting: former vice president Joe Biden.

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In 2016, Sanders and Clinton were ideologically - and visually - a stark contrast in their respective presidential runs

So, how does one pose themselves as a serious threat to the establishment? You dress like them. That isn't to say Sanders was a stranger to tailoring (the navy suit has been a go-to of his for decades), but the polish is applied more consistently for 2020. After all, his strain of socialism is often (and wrongly) associated with ragtag university politics: the stereotype of dreadlocks, hemp, and supposed scruffiness that comes under sneering fire from the right and centre. Smartening up the act is perhaps the shrewdest way to prove such detractors wrong.

President Sanders? It's a convincing image indeed.