New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker launches 2020 bid

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Cory Booker today declared his bid for the presidency in 2020 with a sweeping call to unite a deeply polarized nation around a "common purpose."

The New Jersey Democrat, who is the second black candidate in a primary field that's already historically diverse, delivered his message of unity amid an era marked by bitter political division.

He announced his run on the first day of Black History Month, underscoring his consequential status as America's potential second black president after Barack Obama.

"I believe that we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind; where parents can put food on the table; where there are good-paying jobs with good benefits in every neighborhood; where our criminal justice system keeps us safe, instead of shuffling more children into cages and coffins; where we see the faces of our leaders on television and feel pride, not shame," Booker said in a video message to supporters, subtly jabbing at President Donald Trump.

"It is not a matter of can we, it's a matter of do we have the collective will, the American will?" he added. "I believe we do."

Booker enters what's shaping up to be a crowded presidential primary, with three of his fellow Democratic senators – Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York – already either declared or exploring a run. But he's spent months telegraphing his intentions to join the race, visiting the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to build connections. He already has slated trips back to those states later this month.