Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) formally entered the 2020 presidential race on Sunday, with a video riffing on the lyrics of The Star Spangled Banner.
Says Gillibrand in the clip: Our anthem calls America ‘the home of the brave.’ … It asks, ‘will brave win?’ Well it hasn’t always. And it isn’t right now. Brave doesn’t pit people against one another. Brave doesn’t put money over lives. Brave doesn’t spread hate, cloud truth, build a wall. That’s what fear does. We need to remember what it feels like to be brave. We launched ourselves into space and landed on the moon. If we can do that, we can definitely achieve universal health care. We can provide paid family leave for all, end gun violence, pass a Green New Deal, get money out of politics and take back our democracy. None of this is impossible. Americans are brave every day. … And it’s these brave choices that inspire me to take on the fights others won’t. … We need a leader who makes big, bold, brave choices. Someone who isn’t afraid of progress. That’s why I’m running for president. And it’s why I’m asking you for your support.”
Gillibrand joins a widening field of Democrats who have announced exploratory committees including Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker, Jay Inslee, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, former U.S. Rep John Delaney, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, John Hickenlooper, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Bill Weld, Marianne Williamson, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has also announced plans to explore a run as a centrist independent.
