New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said Tuesday she’s joining the race for the presidency in 2020. Gillibrand announced her run on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: “Well, I’m going to run for the president of the United States, because, as a young mom, I’m going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own, which is why I believe that healthcare should be a right and not a privilege.”
Sen. Gillibrand’s aides say she’ll run on a platform supporting a Medicare-for-all healthcare plan. She’s also pledged to fight for universal paid family leave and publicly funded federal elections. Gillibrand was appointed as New York’s junior senator in 2009 after Hillary Clinton left the post to become secretary of state; she’s since won two elections to retain her seat. Gillibrand joined Congress as a conservative so-called Blue Dog Democrat with a favorable rating from the National Rifle Association but has since backed progressive legislation including the Green New Deal.