Mary Altaffer/AP
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand speaks to supporters during an election night watch party hosted by the New York State Democratic Committee, November 6, 2018, in New York.
- Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced her widely-expected candidacy for the presidency on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday.
- Asked why she was running, Gillibrand, a mother of two sons, said she would "fight for other people's kids as hard as I would fight for my own."
- Gillibrand joins a number of other popular Democrats who have made their own announcements ahead of the 2020 US presidential election
Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced her candidacy for the US presidency on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday, a widely-expected political move amid similar announcements from other Democrats in recent days.
"So, I'm just curious," "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert, asked Gillibrand. "Do you have anything you would like to announce?"
"Yes," Gillibrand said, smiling.
"And what would that be, madam," Colbert asked.
"I'm filing an exploratory committee for president of the United States tonight," Gillibrand said, amid cheers from the crowd.
Asked why she was running, Gillibrand, a mother of two sons, said she would "fight for other people's kids as hard as I would fight for my own."
Gillibrand listed off a number of broad political issues she would take on as president, including healthcare reform and improving public schools, and added that all of her suggestions would be impossible to achieve "if you don't take on the systems of power."
"It's taking on the corruption and greed in Washington," Gillibrand said. "Taking on the special interests that write legislation in the dead of night. And I know that I have the compassion, the courage, and the fearless determination to get that done."
Gillibrand joins a number of other popular Democrats who have made their own announcements ahead of the 2020 US presidential election. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, and former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julián Castro all announced they would be running.
Last week, Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris of California appeared on the show and gave a strong hint she, too, would be running for president.
You can watch Sen. Gillibrand's announcement here »
TONIGHT: @SenGillibrand stops by @colbertlateshow to announce that she is forming an exploratory committee to run for President of the United States! #LSSC pic.twitter.com/vPUpF1gs8z
- The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) January 15, 2019