U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is headed to the Seacoast to stump for President Barack Obama. The independent senator from Vermont will be in Portsmouth and Rochester on Saturday, Sept. 22.

Sanders, the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history, was elected to the Senate in 2006 and previously served eight terms in the House of Representatives. Before that, he served four terms as mayor of Burlington. Although he is an independent, he caucuses with Democrats.

Sanders will speak at South Church in Portsmouth at 10 a.m. and then attend rallies in Rochester at noon and Conway at 5:30 p.m. On Sept. 15, he visited Keene, Claremont, Hanover and Concord on Obama’s behalf.

Republican nominee Mitt Romney, too, has a long-serving senator stumping for him in New Hampshire. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the 2008 Republican nominee, visited Portsmouth, Nashua and Franklin on Sept. 17.