US Senator Cory Booker has announced he's running for president next year.
He's the latest Democrat to seek his party's nomination in a crowded field that already includes his fellow senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Senator Booker, who's served in the Senate since 2013, launched his 2020 campaign today with the slogan 'we will rise'.
In his launch video, the New Jersey Senator said: "In America we have a common pain, but what we're lacking is a sense of common purpose.
"I believe we can build a country where no-one is forgotten, where no-one is left behind... where parents can put food on the table; where there are good-paying jobs with good benefits in every neighbourhood; where our criminal justice system keeps us safe instead of shuffling more children into cages and coffins."
I’m running for president. Join me on this journey. https://t.co/fEDqOVIfwh pic.twitter.com/h1FTPUYRzo
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 1, 2019
49-year-old Booker - along with Warren and Harris - is considered among the most liberal Democrats in the Senate, and a supporter of progressive policies such as single-payer healthcare.
The Democrat race is already getting well underway with a year to go until the first primary votes.
Alongside the four senators, others who've announced bids include former housing secretary Julián Castro and Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
Others who've been tipped as potential candidates but have yet to announce their plans include:
- independent senator Bernie Sanders
- former vice president Joe Biden
- Beto O'Rourke, who fought a high-profile but ultimately unsuccessful bid against Republican Ted Cruz in Texas
