Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) announced on Monday that she is forming a 2020 exploratory committee for president.
The New York Times reports that Warren sent out an email to her supporters at 8:30 a.m. in which she announced she was forming an exploratory committee. The formation of the committee allows Warren to begin fundraising and hire campaign staffers before her official announcement.
Along with her announcement, Warren released a four-minute video that focused on taking on Wall Street and corruption in Washington. Both messages will likely be central themes of Warren's campaign.
"I’ve spent my career getting to the bottom of why America’s promise works for some families, but others, who work just as hard, slip through the cracks into disaster," Warren said in the video. "And what I’ve found is terrifying: these aren’t cracks families are falling into, they’re traps. America’s middle class is under attack."
Every person in America should be able to work hard, play by the same set of rules, & take care of themselves & the people they love. That’s what I’m fighting for, & that’s why I’m launching an exploratory committee for president. I need you with me: https://t.co/BNl2I1m8OX pic.twitter.com/uXXtp94EvY
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) December 31, 2018
Speculation around Warren running for president heated up over the last several months as she made moves like releasing her college records and a DNA test proving she could be anywhere between 1/64th to 1/1,024th Native American, placing her ancestor six to 10 generations back.
In her first campaign blunder before even announcing her exploratory committee, Warren's rollout of the DNA test results was met with mockery and backlash. The Cherokee Nation said Warren was making a mockery out of DNA tests and was "undermining tribal interests."
It was reported that her own advisers suggested that she apologize for the DNA test and how it was handled. During a debate for her 2018 reelection campaign, Warren tried to defend herself by saying the reason she released the results of her DNA test were to restore trust in government again.
While Warren appears eager to take on President Donald Trump in 2020, she will have to convince others, including many in her own state, that she is the right candidate.
A November poll found 89 percent of Massachusetts voters didn't pick Warren to be their candidate.
The Boston Globe published an editorial that encouraged Warren not to run for president.
"Warren missed her moment in 2016, and there’s reason to be skeptical of her prospective candidacy in 2020," the editorial board wrote. "While Warren won reelection, her margin of victory in November suggests there’s a ceiling on her popularity; Republican governor Charlie Baker garnered more votes than her in a state that is supposed to be a Democratic haven. Meanwhile, a September poll indicated that Massachusetts voters were more enthusiastic about Patrick making a White House bid than Warren."
Warren is the first major candidate to announce running for president, beating out several other well-known Democrats who are expected to announce whether they are running in the next few months. A few Democrats have already announced they are running for president like former Congressman John Delaney and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama Julian Castro.