Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York officially joined the 2020 presidential race on Sunday, declaring in an announcement video that America needs “a leader who makes big, bold, brave choices,” and that she is that leader.

There was little drama about whether Ms. Gillibrand would officially enter the presidential race ever since she had announced she was exploring a run in January on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” She has spent the last two months traveling the country and raising money, in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, California and Texas.

The video announcement kicks off a busy week for Ms. Gillibrand that will culminate in what her campaign is billing as her first speech as a presidential candidate next Sunday in Manhattan, which she will deliver, pointedly, outside one of President Trump’s properties.

While some candidates have shied from making Mr. Trump a centerpiece of their campaigns, the location of the speech signals that Ms. Gillibrand has no such hesitation. She has voted against Mr. Trump’s nominees at a faster clip than any other senator — a talking point for her on the campaign trail.</s>On Sunday, March 17, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand officially announced that she is running for President of the United States in the upcoming 2020 election.

In an announcement posted to Twitter, the New York Democrat unveiled her official campaign video with the slogan “Brave Wins.” The two-minute clip outlines Gillibrand’s platform, along with explaining what she is fighting against. “Brave doesn’t pit people against each other,” she says as a voice-over while news footage depicting the Trump era plays on the screen. “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.”

Her video goes on to address issues that are important to her: “We can definitely achieve universal healthcare. 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.”

Gillibrand’s campaign video also highlights her own accomplishments, including working on legislation to push back against sexual assault and harassment in the military. “I challenged Congress by making my meetings, finances, and taxes public so people could I see I was working for them,” she adds. “I took your lead. I chose brave, too. We need a leader who makes big, bold, brave choices. Someone who isn't afraid of progress. And that's why I’m running for president.”

In addition to her official run, Gillibrand announced an upcoming campaign event right at “President Trump’s doorstep.” On Sunday, March 24, the presidential candidate will hold a campaign kickoff rally right outside of Trump International Tower in New York City. According to Gillibrand’s website, attendees will hear from guest speakers and the senator herself, as she “lays out her vision for our country.”

Back in January, Gillibrand tweeted that she was preparing a presidential run, noting that her campaign will have one “core” mission: “restoring power to people.” In another tweet, the candidate added: “I believe this country needs a movement rooted in compassion and courage. We want an America defined by strength of character, not weakness of ego. We need to protect our basic rights and fight for better health care, education and jobs. And I believe I'm the woman for the job.”

Gillibrand came to the United States Senate in 2009 when she filled Hillary Clinton’s seat during Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State, and was re-elected in 2018. Prior to becoming a U.S. senator, Gillibrand was a U.S. House representative.

Over the course of her career, Gillibrand has become more progressive in her views. In recent months, the senator has reflected upon her political history, and even once said she was “embarrassed” by her former stance on gun control. "After I got appointed, I went down to Brooklyn to meet with families who had suffered from gun violence in their communities,” Gillibrand said in a 60 Minutes interview in February 2018. "And you immediately experience the feeling that I couldn’t have been more wrong."

As she outlined in her campaign video, Gillibrand’s key issues in her fight for the White House include universal healthcare and paid family leave, “medicare-for-all,” gun reform, and fighting back against sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination. “I've been working for five years on trying to end sexual violence in the military,” Gillibrand said during her February 2018 60 Minutes interview. “I've been working on trying to clean up sexual assault on college campuses because too many universities shove this stuff under the rug. And I now am trying to clean up Congress.”</s>
• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has officially joined the race for president.
• The New York lawmaker, who faces an already-crowded Democratic field, said in a video released Sunday that she wants to prove “brave wins.”
• Gillibrand notably first announced the formation of an exploratory committee on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on January 15.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand officially joined the race for president Sunday after a two-month exploratory phase, saying she was ready to make “big, bold, brave choices.”

“Brave doesn’t … spread hate, cloud truth, build a wall,” Gillibrand says in a video released Sunday morning. “That’s what fear does.”

The New York lawmaker pushes her record on voting against Wall Street and taking on the Pentagon to end sexual assault in the military and calls for universal health care, paid family leave, ending gun violence, a Green New Deal and getting money out of politics.

The announcement makes Gillibrand the newest addition to a large pool of Democratic candidates, which includes five other female hopefuls.

Gillibrand first announced the formation of an exploratory committee for president on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on January 15.

“It’s taking on the corruption and greed in Washington,” Gillibrand told Colbert. “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.”

Over the past two months, Gillibrand has made several appearances in early-voting states, often emphasizing her personal role as a mom that informs her policy decisions.

Read more: Here’s how presidential hopeful Kirsten Gillibrand went from pushing for more deportations to wanting to abolish ICE

Gillibrand, who touts how she turned a red congressional district blue in the announcement video, began her political career as a moderate, blue-dog Democrat representing a conservative district in upstate New York.

She has made a name for herself as a strong progressive voice in the US Senate, in which she has served since 2009. Gillibrand has advocated for stronger policies around addressing sexual assault in the military, lowering healthcare costs, and decreasing economic and gender inequality.</s>YouTube/Kirsten Gillibrand(NEW YORK) — After launching a presidential exploratory committee in January, Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand made her run official, announcing that “I am running for president” in a video posted to her verified YouTube account Sunday morning.

Gillibrand made the announcement in a video titled “Brave Wins,” in which the New York junior senator quotes from the “Star Spangled Banner” to highlight examples of bravery in the history of the United States and to take on President Trump.

“Brave doesn’t spread hate,” she said in the video. “Cloud truth. Build a wall. That’s what fear does.”

Demonstrating her will to take on the president, Gillibrand ended her video with an announcement that her first major speech as a presidential candidate will take place outside of the Trump International Hotel in New York City on March 24.

Since launching an exploratory committee two months ago, Gillibrand has introduced herself to voters in several swing states — including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

By officially entering the race, Gillibrand joins a crowded field, becoming the 14th official Democratic candidate running for president.

Despite Gillibrand getting an early start in the race by launching her exploratory committee — a traditional precursor to announcing a run — she has barely registered in the polls.

In a recent Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Poll of Iowa, Gillibrand was not picked as the first choice candidate for president by a single survey participant.

Gillibrand has also struggled to win endorsements and has yet to capture an endorsement from a single member of New York’s congressional delegation.

The senator, who was once considered a moderate Democrat, was elected to Congress in 2006. In 2009, when then-Sen. Hillary Clinton was tapped to be President Barack Obama’s Secretary of State, Gillibrand was appointed to finish Clinton’s Senate term.

Since entering the Senate, Gillibrand has pushed a more progressive agenda. Gillibrand “proudly” touts her “F” rating from the National Rifle Association and is rated as “the seventh most liberal member of the 46-person Democratic Caucus” in the last Congress, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Gillibrand had previously said her campaign theme would focus on fighting for children across the country.

She has voted against Trump’s position “more often than any other senator” as of December 2017, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Gillibrand has also opposed many of Trump’s cabinet and senior administrative nominees, including voting against Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.

Gillibrand’s campaign contends that “she is committed to fighting for what’s right, even when it’s hard.”</s>New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand officially announces she will seek the Democratic party’s nomination for the 2020 presidential election, taking aim at Donald Trump as she formally joined the crowded field of challengers.

In a video released earlier today, she says the American national anthem poses the question: “Will brave win?”

“Well, it hasn’t always, and it isn’t right now,” she says. “Brave doesn’t pit people against each other. Brave doesn’t put money over lives. Brave doesn’t spread hate. Cloud truth. Build a wall. That’s what fear does.”

The announcement was widely expected after the 52-year-old champion of women’s rights told TV host Stephen Colbert in January she would be forming an exploratory committee.

In an election cycle where Democratic candidates are tilting heavily to the left, Gillibrand toutes her vote against the Wall Street bailouts supported by both major parties, pledges to work for universal health care, and pass the so-called Green New Deal, an economic stimulus program aimed at tackling climate change.

Gillibrand joins more than a dozen Democrats already in the race, including Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker and independent Bernie Sanders who ran against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016.</s>Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York on Sunday officially announced her 2020 candidacy for her party's presidential nomination in a video posted on the social networks titled "Brave Wins."

Gillibrand thus joins the ever-lengthening list of Democratic politicians who have announced their candidacies for the party's presidential nod and who will face off in the primaries.</s>New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Sunday officially announced she would seek the Democratic party's nomination for the 2020 presidential election, taking aim at Donald Trump as she formally joined the crowded field of challengers.

In a video released Sunday morning, she said the national anthem posed the question: "Will brave win?"

"Well, it hasn't always, and it isn't right now," she said. "Brave doesn't pit people against each other. Brave doesn´t put money over lives. Brave doesn't spread hate. Cloud truth. Build a wall. That's what fear does."

The announcement was widely expected after the 52-year-old champion of women's rights told TV host Stephen Colbert in January she would be forming an exploratory committee.

In an election cycle where Democratic candidates are tilting heavily to the left, Gillibrand touted her vote against the Wall Street bailouts supported by both major parties, pledged to work for universal health care, and pass the so-called Green New Deal, an economic stimulus program aimed at tackling climate change.

Gillibrand joins more than a dozen Democrats already in the race, including Kamala Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker in addition to independent Bernie Sanders who ran against Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016.

But she has distinguished herself in key ways, raising her national profile by sponsoring -- and mounting a three-year campaign for -- a bill that would revamp how sexual assaults in the military are prosecuted by removing them from the chain of command.

The bill fell short in the Senate, but Gillibrand has been relentless about highlighting sexual assault in the military, on college campuses and in the workplace.

She is also one of the top Trump naysayers in the Senate, voting against the president's nominees for major posts more than almost any other senator.</s>WASHINGTON -- New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand formally joined the 2020 White House race on Sunday and previewed the hard line she will take against President Donald Trump by announcing a rally outside one of his signature Manhattan properties.She had spent more than a month traveling around the country to gauge support for a run.Her announcement that she was joining the dozen-plus candidates who want to challenge Trump came in a nearly three-minute video produced by her campaign and released early in the morning. She says the national anthem poses this question: "Will brave win?""Well, it hasn't always, and it isn't right now," she says. "Brave doesn't pit people against each other. Brave doesn't put money over lives. Brave doesn't spread hate. Cloud truth. Build a wall. That's what fear does."In the video, Gillibrand says that the country needs a leader who "makes bold, brave choices" and "someone who isn't afraid of progress. That's why I'm running for president."She said her debut speech as a candidate will come next Sunday in front of the Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York.Gillibrand has been one of the most forceful critics of the Trump administration. Using the backdrop of one of Trump's marquee properties is a clear challenge to the president.She announced her exploratory committee in January in an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Since then, she has visited a number of states to assess political support for a White House bid.This coming week she plans to campaign in Michigan, Iowa and Nevada, leading up to her New York kickoff.Gillibrand has been a vocal advocate for electing more women to office, as well as combating sexual assault and violence in politics and the military.</s>NEW YORK – Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand officially jumped in the 2020 presidential race on Sunday by declaring her Democratic candidacy with a campaign video titled “Brave Wins.”

The New York Democrat launched an exploratory campaign in January, announcing it on CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and has spent the past two months traveling to key states.

Toward the end of the two-minute long video released on Sunday, Gillibrand, speaking directly to the camera, announces she’s running for president.

The video ends with an invitation to join Gillibrand at the Trump International Hotel on March 24, where she plans to deliver “her positive, brave vision of restoring America’s moral integrity straight to President Trump’s doorstep,” her campaign said in an announcement accompanying the video.

“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,” Gillibrand says in the video.

“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,” Gillibrand says over news footage, including of President Donald Trump.

“We need to remember what it feels like to be brave,” she adds. “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 its these brave choices that inspire me to take on the fights others won’t,” Gillibrand says.

Gillibrand, 52, is one of six women seeking the Democratic nomination and one of six senators running for president.

She’ll begin her official campaign with a trip to Michigan, a once solidly blue state that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton lost to Trump.

Her first week as a declared candidate will include a visit to the early voting states of Iowa and Nevada, and culminate with her speech on March 24 in front of the Trump International Hotel.

Gillibrand — whose first name is pronounced “Keer-sten” — was a former US House representative in a heavily Republican district in New York. She was tapped in 2009 to fill Clinton’s US Senate seat in New York when Clinton was named Secretary of State.

She was re-elected to the Senate in 2018 and rose to national prominence as an outspoken critic of Trump, an advocate for women’s issues, and a forceful proponent of the #MeToo movement — all of which will be central to her 2020 campaign.

In 2017, she was the first senator to call for former Minnesota Democrat Al Franken to resign from the Senate after allegations that he touched women inappropriately.

But earlier this week, Gillibrand faced claims that she mishandled allegations of sexual harassment in her Senate office.

A female Senate staffer for Gillibrand resigned in 2018 after she accused a male senior adviser of sexual harassment and felt the investigation was “poorly” handled. The accused staffer was not fired at the time for the allegations.

Gillibrand defended her office’s handling of the allegations, saying that her office looked into the accusations “immediately and did a professional and thorough investigation.”

Her past conservative record on immigration, guns, and gay marriage is also being scrutinized by the left and attacked by Republicans who seek to paint her as a flip flopper.

Currently, Gillibrand has yet to reach the 1% marker in polls, a Democratic National Committee requirement to be included in the upcoming 2020 debates.</s>For Gillibrand, whose campaign said that she will deliver her first speech at New York's Trump International Hotel, Sunday’s announcement is mostly a formality. But it comes in a process that has been rife with symbolism. In Gillibrand’s announcement of an exploratory committee in January in her hometown of Troy, New York, the senator packaged herself as a political dynamo, a “young mom” and everywoman. She said that setting was a microcosm of the country’s virtues and challenges and followed up with trips to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, California, and Texas. But her decision to deliver her first speech as a candidate against the backdrop of Trump’s monument signals both a stark early election season contrast to Trump himself and to a field of candidates that has, at times, avoided taking on Trump directly in favor messaging that goes past him.

Kirsten Gillibrand, the 52-year-old New York senator whose involvement in the movement against sexual harassment have given advocates political heft and critics an invaluable target, announced Sunday morning she was officially a candidate for president, ending her exploratory phase hoping to attract newly-politicized Americans to an aspirational message fashioned in fierce opposition to President Donald Trump.

“We need to remember what it feels like to be brave,” Gillibrand said in a two-and-a-half minute video announcing her candidacy released Sunday that has nearly a dozen direct or indirect references to Trump. “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.”

But as her star in the Democratic Party grew increasingly synonymous with #MeToo, Gillibrand has became something of a controversial figure within it, too. She came under fire after moneyed Democrats took to the national press to express their displeasure that she led the call in the US Senate for then-Minnesota Sen. Al Franken to step down.

Recently, Politico reported that a woman in Gillibrand's office reported that a male staffer made unwanted, sexually aggressive advances toward her, but he was not removed from the office until recently, according to the report. The woman informed Gillibrand's chief of staff that she was resigning from her office because of how it had handled the situation. In response to the report, Gillibrand's office said it had initiated "a full and thorough investigation" with "multiple interviews" with relevant employees who could potentially corroborate the claims.



Gillibrand has also so far not gotten any endorsements from her home-state congressional delegation. Beto O'Rourke, who joined the Democratic primary race this week, has already netted two from New York.

Gillibrand was first appointed to the US Senate in 2009 after Hillary Clinton left for the Obama administration, and later won a special election for the seat in 2010, in which she trounced Republican Joe DioGuardi. She won reelection to her seat last year.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York formally announces she is officially running for the Democratic Party's nomination for President of the United States in the 2020 election.