Washington ( CNN ) Bernie Sanders is headed back to Iowa for a three-day , six-stop swing to further explore a possible presidential run . Sanders , the independent senator from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats and is actively exploring a presidential run with the party , will spend Feb. 19 , 20 and 21 in the first-in-the-nation caucus state . The senator will start his trip on Feb. 19 with a town meeting at the University of Iowa in Iowa City . The following day , on Feb. 20 , Sanders will headline a town meeting at Drake University in Des Moines and keynote a meeting of the Iowa Citizen Action Network in Johnston . On the final day of his trip , Sanders will headline a Democratic meeting in Cedar Rapids , Tipton and Ames . A Democratic operative close to Sanders confirmed the trip , which was first reported by the Des Moines Register . Sanders , who made three trips to Iowa in 2014 , including one in December , told CNN this month that he would decide on a presidential run by March . To date , however , the senator has shied away from challenging Hillary Clinton , the Democratic frontrunner for the 2016 presidential nomination .
Sanders is headed back to Washington to further explore a 2016 presidential run . He will spend three days and attend six debates in the critically important presidential election . As he has done in the past , Sanders will primarily speak to college students and liberal groups .