Democrat Warren enters 2020 White House race

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Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, an outspoken critic of Wall Street and nemesis of Donald Trump, entered the 2020 race for the White House on Monday.

The 69-year-old progressive announced she was launching an exploratory committee for president, becoming the first major candidate in what is set to be an extraordinarily crowded Democratic primary, united by a singular focus on unseating the Republican Trump.

The move will help Warren raise funds and hire more staff early in the campaign cycle - an effort in which she already leads most other potential Democratic candidates.

Elizabeth Warren speaks as the Democratic party leadership unveils their "Better Deal" for America in Berryville, Virginia, U.S., July 24, 2017. /VCG Photo

With as many as three dozen Democrats weighing possible presidential bids, the road to the nomination will be arduous.

Among those who have already declared their intention to run are Julian Castro, a former housing secretary in Barack Obama's administration, Maryland Representative John Delaney and Richard Ojeda, a former army paratrooper currently serving as a state senator in West Virginia.

Polls, for now, show Warren trailing veteran politicians like former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders, both in their 70s - as well as rising young star Beto O'Rourke, who is 46.

But analyst Nate Silver said on Twitter that Warren "probably has a better chance than Sanders of bridging the gap between the left and the party establishment."

Her announcement came 13 months before the Iowa caucuses that launched what is expected to be a boisterous primary season.

"America's middle class is under attack," said a video message from Warren, who has represented Massachusetts in the Senate since 2013, crafting a reputation as an economic populist.

"Corruption is poisoning our democracy," she said. "Politicians look the other way while big insurance companies deny patients life-saving coverage, while big banks rip off consumers and while big oil companies destroy this planet."

That, she said, is why she is launching her exploratory committee.

Source(s): AFP