Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Sunday made it official when she formally announced that she is running for the Democratic Party nomination for president next year.
Gillibrand had announced an exploratory committee for a potential run last month.
Her unsurprising announcement came early this morning in the form of a three-minute video produced by her campaign.
In her announcement video Gillibrand calls for universal health care, paid family leave, ending gun violence, a Green New Deal and getting money out of politics, and points to activists like striking public school teachers and Women’s March participants.
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The video ends with an invitation to join Gillibrand at the Trump International Hotel on Friday, where she plans to deliver “her positive, brave vision of restoring America’s moral integrity straight to President Trump’s doorstep.”
Video:
I’m running for president. Let’s prove that brave wins. Join me: https://t.co/I1vp93LBUR pic.twitter.com/Giu4u4KEZQ
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) March 17, 2019
In the video Gillibrand speaks over news footage, including of President Donald Trump, saying:
“Our anthem calls America the home of the brave, but we don’t realize that the lyrics first pose it as a question … 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.â€
“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.â€
The 52 year-old Gillibrand is one of six women seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination and is also one of six senators running for president (so far). She has been serving in the Senate since 2009.
She announced she will start her campaign with a trip to Michigan, and then will visit the early voting states of Iowa and Nevada. Her first week of campaigning will end with a speech on Friday in front of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C..
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
