Elizabeth Warren cheers AOC's Green New Deal, calls for an 'ultra millionaires tax', calls Trump bigoted and says climate change means 'our existence is at stake' as she launches 2020 presidential run
- Elizabeth Warren officially announced her candidacy at rally on Saturday
- Held the event in struggling mill town of Lawrence, Massachusetts
- Was a far cry from the posh environs of her home in Cambridge
- Cheered AOC's 'Green New Deal' proposal and proposed 'ultra millionaires tax'
- Touted immigrant women for 1912 strike at the mill where she spoke
- Warren faced fresh controversy this week over prior claims of Native heritage
- Wrote her race as 'American Indian' on bar registration card in 1986
- Taught law in Texas at the time but soon moved on to UPenn and Harvard
- Warren's prior publication of DNA test revealed her as little as 1/1,024 Native
- She did not mention the embarrassment during speech in bid to move on
Senator Elizabeth Warren has officially announced her 2020 presidential campaign.
The 69-year-old Massachusetts Democrat officially launched her campaign at a rally on Saturday in Lawrence, Massachusetts, one of New England's poorest and most heavily Latino communities.
'I am a candidate for president of the United States of America,' she told the cheering crowd on a blustery day where the wind chill hit 19 degrees.
Warren struck a populist note in her speech, highlighting her humble origins as the daughter of a janitor, and lashed out at a 'rigged' system that favors big banks and the elite.
She proposed an 'ultra millionaires tax' on the super wealthy and twice praised the Green New Deal, an ambitious environmental, economic and social master-plan rolled out this week by freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat.
Warren also lashed out at President Donald Trump, saying: 'The rich and the powerful use fear to divide us. We're done with that. Bigotry has no place in the Oval Office.'
Senator Elizabeth Warren waves at the crowd ahead of a campaign rally on Friday, where she announced her candidacy for president in the 20202 race
Warren proposed an 'ultra millionaires tax' on the super wealthy and twice praised the Green New Deal, an ambitious environmental, economic and social master-plan
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts announces her candidacy for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination at Everett Mills in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Despite the cold weather, a crowd turned up at the former textile mill for Warren
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The former law school professor began her speech with a lecture on the history of the rally's location, Everett Mill, where the Industrial Workers of the World in 1912 organized a strike of female workers whose pay was cut corresponding to a new law shortening the work week of women.
Warren praised the mostly immigrant women for winning a pay raise and inspiring new worker-protection legislation.
'They stuck together and they won,' Warren said. She said that the history lesson was a 'story about our power when we fight together' and vowed that the upcoming election would be 'the fight of our lives.'
She hopes her populist stance will distinguish her in the field and help her move past the controversy surrounding her past claims to Native American heritage, an embarrassment Warren did not mention in her speech.
Warren concluded her speech to the walk-off song Respect, by Aretha Franklin.
Warren began her speech with a lecture on the 1912 Bread and Roses strike. Above Massachusetts militiamen (left) are seen facing off with workers (right) during the strike
The former law professor tutored the crowd on the history of the mill town of Lawrence
Warren supporters look on during her event announcing her official bid for President
Warren greets supporters after announcing her official bid for President on Friday
Rep. Joe Kennedy III, a Massachusetts Democrat and grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, introduced Warren at the rally and endorsed her run.
Warren will battle at least five fellow senators for the nomination and chance to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020.
On Wednesday, Warren repeatedly apologized for claiming on a 1986 bar registration form to be 'American Indian'.
A year later, she had jumped from teaching law at the University of Texas to working as a full professor in the Ivy League, first at the University of Pennsylvania and then Harvard.
Warren's prior publication of DNA test results revealed her share of Native American heritage to be little as 1/1,024.
In a statement, President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, reacted to Warren's announcement with disdain.
'Elizabeth Warren has already been exposed as a fraud by the Native Americans she impersonated and disrespected to advance her professional career, and the people of Massachusetts she deceived to get elected,' Parscale said in a statement.
'The American people will reject her dishonest campaign and socialist ideas like the Green New Deal, that will raise taxes, kill jobs and crush American's middle class,' he added.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts (second from left) arrives with her husband Bruce Mann to Everett Mills ahead of her campaign announcement on Saturday
Warren peeks out the window at the crowd for her campaign rally in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Warren looks out of the window with some of her grandchildren prior to her speech
Warren's fellow candidate for the Democrat nomination, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. leaped to her defense, calling the Trump campaign's attack 'irresponsible' and 'unpresidential.'
Gillibrand told reporters in South Carolina that Warren 'has been an extraordinary public servant' who 'will keep fighting for Americans.'
The New York lawmaker says that how Trump 'treats women, particularly women of color, is outrageous.'
The faded mill city of Lawrence, 30 miles north of Warren's tony Cambridge home, was once a center of America's textile industry and has a long history of welcoming immigrants. It's now 80 percent Latino.
But Trump and other Republicans have criticized the city for being a hub for the heroin trade. They've also taken aim at its sanctuary city policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration agencies.
In a video released before the event, Warren cited Lawrence's 'history of working people coming together to make change, where the fight was hard, the battle was uphill, and where a group of women led the charge for all of us.'
Warren was scheduled to later visit New Hampshire, home to the nation's first primary, where Warren could have an advantage as a neighboring-state resident with high name recognition.
She intended to spend Sunday in Iowa, where the leadoff caucuses will be the first test of candidates' viability.
Warren was the first high-profile Democrat to signal interest in running for the White House, forming an exploratory committee on New Year's Eve.
WHO ARE ALL THE DEMOCRATS OFFICIALLY RUNNING FOR THE PRESIDENCY IN 2020 SO FAR?
ELIZABETH WARREN
Age on Inauguration Day: 71
Entered race: Set up exploratory committee December 31, 2018
Career: Law lecturer and academic who became an expert on bankruptcy law and tenured Harvard professor. Ran for Senate and won in 2012, defeating sitting Republican Scott Brown, held it in 2018 60% to 36%. Was short-listed to be Hillary's running mate and campaigned hard for her in 2016
Family: Twice-married mother of two and grandmother of three. First husband and father of her children was her high-school sweetheart. Second husband Bruce Mann is Harvard law professor. Daughter Amelia Tyagi and son Alex Warren have both been involved in her campaigns. Has controversially claimed Native American roots; DNA test suggested she is as little as 1,064th Native American
Religion: Raised Methodist, now described as Christian with no fixed church
Views on key issues: Voted Republican until 1995 but has tacked left since. Pro: higher taxes on rich; banking regulation; Dream Act path to citizenship for 'dreamers'; abortion and gay rights; campaign finance restrictions; and expansion of public provision of healthcare - although still to spell out exactly how that would happen. Against: U.S. presence in Afghanistan and Syria; liberalization of gambling
Slogan: To be announced
KAMALA HARRIS
Age on Inauguration Day: 56
Entered race: Announced she was running January 21, 2018 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - on Good Morning America. Formally entered race January 27
Career: Howard and U.C. Hunter law school grad who worked as assistant district attorney in Alameda County, CA, then in San Francisco's DA's office before being elected San Francisco DA in 2003 and used it as springboard to run successfully for California attorney general in 2010. Won again in 2014 and was at center of U.S. attorney general and Supreme Court speculation but also endured a series of controversies, including over police brutality allegations. Ran for Senate in 2016 and established herself on liberal wing of party
Family: Born in Berkeley, CA, to immigrant Indian Tamil mother and Jamaican father who were both academics and brought up from seven to 18 in Montreal, Canada. Dated married San Francisco mayor Willie Brown, when he was 60 and she was 29. Married attorney Douglas Emhoff in 2014 and has two stepchildren; Cole, an aspiring actor, and Ella, an art and design student. Sister Maya was a Hillary Clinton adviser and brother-in-law Tony West is Uber's chief legal counsel. Would be first female, first Indian-American and first female black president
Views on key issues: Social ultra-liberal who has rejected criticisms of 'identity politics' and is running without a political action committee, which will make her reliant on small donors. Has shifted left on criminal justice reform; supports Medicare for all; pro-gun control and anti-death penalty; says illegal immigration is a civil not a criminal offense
Religion: Has said she was brought up in both Baptist and Hindu tradition
Slogan: Kamala Harris: For The People
BERNIE SANDERS
Age on Inauguration Day: 79
Entered race: Sources said on January 25, 2019, that he would form exploratory committee
Career: Student civil rights and anti-Vietnam activist who moved to Vermont and worked as a carpenter and radical film-maker. Serial failed political candidate in the 1970s, he ran as a socialist for mayor of Burlington in 1980 and served two terms ending in 1989, and win a seat in Congress as an independent in 1990. Ran for Senate in 2006 elections as an independent with Democratic endorsement and won third term in 2018. Challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016 but lost. Campaign has since been hit by allegations of sexual harassment - for which he has apologized - and criticized for its 'Bernie bro' culture
Family: Born to a Jewish immigrant father and the daughter of Jewish immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York. First marriage to college sweetheart Deboarah Shiling Messing in 1964 ended in divorce in 1966; had son Levi in 1969 with then girlfriend Susan Cambell Mott. Married Jone O'Meara in 1988 and considers her three children, all adults, his own. The couple have seven grandchildren. His older brother Larry is a former Green Party councilor in Oxfordshire, England
Religion: Secular Jewish
Views on key issues: Openly socialist and standard bearer for the Democratic party's left-turn. Wants federal $15 minimum wage; banks broken up; union membership encouraged; free college tuition; universal health care; re-distributive taxation; he opposed Iraq War and also U.S. leading the fight against ISIS and wants troops largely out of Afghanistan and the Middle East
Slogan: To be announced
KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND
Age on Inauguration Day: 54
Entered race: Announced exploratory committee on Stephen Colbert's CBS show on January 16, 2019
Career: Dartmouth and UCLA law grad who was a high-flying Manhattan attorney representing big businesses. Says she was inspired to enter politics by hearing Hillary Clinton speak, although she is also scion of a prominent New York Democratic political family. Won New York's 20th district, centered on Albany in 2004; appointed to Hillary Clinton's senate seat in 2008 and won it in 2010 special election 63-35; won first full term 2012 and re-elected 67-33 in 2018
Family: Married to British venture capitalist Jonathan Gillibrand with two sons, Theodore, 15, and Henry, ten. Father Douglas Lutnik was Democratic lobbyist; grandmother Polly Noonan was at center of Albany Democratic politics. Would be first female president
Religion: Catholic
Views on key issues: Initially pro-gun as Congresswoman, has since reversed herself to be pro-gun control and also pro-immigration; said Bill Clinton should have resigned over Monica Lewinsky and helped force Al Franken out of Senate over groping allegations; in favor of single-payer healthcare and Medicare for all
Slogan: To be announced
CORY BOOKER
Age on Inauguration Day: 51
Entered race: Announced he was running February 1, 2019
Career: High school football star who went to Stanford or undergraduate and masters degrees before studying in Oxford as a Rhodes scholar and Yale Law School. Worked for advocacy and youth projects and successfully ran for Newark, New Jersey, city council in 1998. Narrowly lost mayoral election in 2002 facing claims he was 'suburban' and 'not black enough.' Ran again in 2006 and won landslide on radical reform platform for troubled city, including being tough on crime, cutting budget deficit, increasing affordable housing and tackling failing schools - controversially taking a huge donation from Mark Zuckerberg for the city. Ran for New Jersey senate seat in 2013 special election and won; won full term in 2014
Family: Single. Parents Cary and Carolyn were among IBM's first black executives. Brother Cary Jr. is education adviser to New Jersey's Democratic governor. Would be first bachelor president since James Buchanan, who was in the White House from 1857 to 1861
Religion: Baptist
Views on key issues: Self-proclaimed liberal. Endorses abortion rights; affirmative action; single-payer health care; criminal justice reform; path to citizenship for 'dreamers; federal marijuana decriminalization; $15 minimum wage; but has also spoken against tech regulation and for long-term deficit reduction
Slogan: To be announced
JULIAN CASTRO
Age on Inauguration Day: 46
Entered race: January 12, 2018, at rally in his native San Antonio, TX. Had formed exploratory committee two months previously
Career: Stanford and Harvard graduate who was a San Antonio councilman at 26 and became mayor in 2009. Was Obama's Housing and Urban Development secretary from 2014 to 2016
Family: Married with nine-year-old daughter, Carina, and four-year-old son, Cristian. His identical twin Joaquin, who is a minute younger, is Democratic congressman. Mother Maria del Rosario Castro was part of 'radical' third party for Mexican-Americans; father left his wife and five children for her but they never married. Would be first Hispanic-American president - announced his run in English and Spanish - and first-ever U.S. president with a twin
Religion: Catholic
Views on key issues: Wants medicare for all; universal pre-K; action on affordable housing; will not take money from political action committees (PACs) tied to corporations or unions. Other views still to be announced
Slogan: One Nation. One Destiny
PETE BUTTIGIEG
Age on Inauguration Day: 39
Entered race: Announced formation of exploratory committee January 23, 2019
Career: Harvard grad and Rhodes scholar who got a second degree from Oxford before working as a McKinsey management consultant and being commissioned as a Navy Reserve intelligence officer. Elected South Ben mayor in 2011 and served in combat in 2013, won re-election in 2015
Family: Came out as gay during second mayoral run and married husband Chasten Glezman,a middle school teacher in 2018. Parents were University of Notre Dame academics. Surname is pronounced BOTT-edge-edge. Would be first openly gay president and first combat veteran since George H.W. Bush
Religion: Episcopalian
Views on key issues: Has said Democratic party needs a 'fresh start'; wrote an essay in praise of Bernie Sanders aged 17; backed paid parental leave for city employees; other policies unknown
Slogan: To be announced
TULSI GABBARD
Age on Inauguration Day: 39
Entered race: Still to formally file any papers but said she would run on January 11 2019
Career: Born on American Samoa, a territory, and therefore may be subject to questions over whether she is natural-born. Raised largely in Hawaii, she co-founded an environmental non-profit with her father as a teenager and was elected to the State Legislature aged 21, its youngest member in history. Enlisted in the National Guard and served two tours, one in Iraq 2004-2006, then as an officer in Kuwait in 2009. Ran for Honolulu City Council in 2011, and House of Representatives in 2012
Family: Married to her second husband, Abraham Williams, a cinematographer since 2015. First marriage to childhood sweetheart Eduardo Tamayo in 2002 ended in 2006. Father Mike Gabbard is a Democratic Hawaii state senator, mother Carol Porter runs a non-profit. Would be first Samoan-American, first Hindu and first female president
Religion: Hindu
Views on key issues: Has apologized for anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage views; wants marijuana federally legalized; opposed to most U.S. foreign interventions; backs $15 minimum wage and universal health care; was the second elected Democrat to meet Trump after his 2016 victory
Slogan: To be announced
JOHN DELANEY
Age on Inauguration Day: 57
Entered race: Filed papers July 28, 2017
Career: Three-time Maryland congressman, first winning election in 2012. Previously set up publicly-traded companies lending capital to healthcare and mid-size businesses and was youngest CEO at the time of a New York Stock Exchange-listed firm
Family: Married father of four; wife April works for children's issues nonprofit
Religion: Catholic
Views on key issues: Social liberal in favor of legalized pot and gun control but not single-payer healthcare; fiscally conservative
Slogan: Focus on the Future
ANDREW YANG
Age on Inauguration Day: 46
Entered race: Filed papers November 6, 2018
Career: Started a dotcom flop then become healthcare and education tech executive who set up nonprofit Venture for America
Family: Married father of two; would be first Asian-American president
Religion: Reformed Church
Views on key issues: Warns of rise of robots and artificial intelligence, wants $1,000 a month universal basic income and social media regulated
Slogan: Humanity First
AND THOSE WHO'VE ALREADY WITHDRAWN
RICHARD OJEDA. West Virginia ex- state senator and paratrooper veteran
Entered race: November 12, 2018. Quit: January 25, 2019
