Feb. 9 (UPI) — Elizabeth Warren made her bid for the presidency official Saturday as she launched her campaign.
The Massachusetts senator kicked off her campaign on the steps of a mill building in Lawrence, Mass. She said it was symbolic gesture to the rights of immigrants, women and labor groups, since immigrant women went on strike inside the building over a century ago to protest working conditions and inadequate pay.
“Like the women of Lawrence, we are here to say, ‘Enough is enough,’ ” Warren said, according to a prepared speech text obtained by The Boston Globe. “We are here to take on a fight that will shape our lives, our children’s lives and our grandchildren’s lives.”
Warren added that her 2020 bid extends beyond just hoping to replace President Donald Trump.
“Our fight is for big, structural change,” Warren said.”That is why I stand here today, to declare that I am a candidate for president of the United States of America.”
Warren laid out three pathways in her policy agenda for that change.
First, Warren said she would take on “corruption” in Washington, citing an ethics bill to ban lobbying by former lawmakers, presidents and top appointees, with additional provisions that propose a requirement that presidents make their tax returns public and sell off companies to avoid conflicts of interest, NBC News reported.
She also outlined her economic plans, including a wealth tax, easing access to unions, and expanding Medicare access.
Warren said she would “strengthen democracy” by making partisan gerrymandering illegal and enacting constitutional amendments to protect voting rights.
Warren’s bid seemed likely since New Year’s Eve, when she formed an exploratory committee that did not make her a formal candidate, but allowed her to raise money.
On Saturday, Warren kicked off a seven-state tour that will take her from Massachusetts to early primary and caucus states New Hampshire through Iowa.
Warren has faced criticism since last fall when she released a DNA test to prove she was of Native American heritage. Last week, she apologized to the Cherokee Nation for saying during parts of her academic life that she was Native American even though she is not a tribal citizen.
She also faces growing competition from her colleagues in the Senate, such as Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. and Cory Booker, D-N.J.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is also expected to announce whether she will run for president at an event 1 p.m. Sunday at Boom Island Park, in downtown Minneapolis.
