Kamala Harris announces she is running for president in 2020

• Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris of California announced she is running for president.
• She joins a growing number of Democratic candidates vying to challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 US presidential election.
• "I'm running for president," she said. "Let's do this together."

Sen. Kamala Harris says she is running for president in 2020, adding to a growing number of Democratic candidates vying to challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 US presidential election.

The Democratic senator for California made the announcement on Monday, which is Martin Luther King Day, on Twitter.

"I'm running for president," she tweeted. "Let's do this together."

Harris also told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday: "The thing about Dr King that always inspires me is that ... he was aspirational like our country was aspirational. We know that we've not yet reached those ideals, but our strength is that we fight to reach those ideals."

Harris' campaign website said she would not accept donations from corporate PACs, adding: "We don't have to accept a system that drowns out your voice."

Rumors of Harris' announcement began after the former California attorney general teased a potential run in numerous media appearances in recent weeks. Harris previously said she would mull the decision over the holidays and said she would take into account her family's thoughts.

After publishing her memoir, "The Truths We Hold: An American Journey," Harris embarked on a media blitz and offered the traditional non-denial denial to queries about her potential presidential ambitions.

"So, I'm pleased to announce on 'The View' that I'm not ready to make my announcement," Harris joked on ABC's "The View" this week. "I'm very tempted, but I'm not yet ready," she said.

On Tuesday, Harris reportedly shuttered her state campaign committee, "Harris for Governor 2026," and donated the remaining funds to different organizations, fueling rumors of a presidential run.

Harris made stops at several battleground states in the fall, including Iowa, South Carolina, and Wisconsin in support of other Democrats during the 2018 midterm elections.

Her announcement comes at a time when other 2020 Democratic contenders have signaled their intent, namely Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julián Castro, who formed a presidential exploratory committee.

Other potential candidates include Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas.

Read more:What women eyeing a run for the White House can expect from voters and the media in 2020

Harris is currently serving her first term in the Senate, similar to former President Barack Obama, who, as a first-term senator, was initially criticized for his inexperience after he announced his 2008 presidential campaign. Prior to her role in the Senate, Harris was California's attorney general and served as the district attorney of San Francisco.

Harris most recently made headlines for her intense line of questioning during the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.

The former prosecutor, who now sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, demanded the FBI thoroughly investigate the sexual-misconduct allegations made by Christine Blasey Ford, whose claims threatened to tank Kavanaugh's nomination.

"Let's be honest. It's going to be ugly," Harris said in December on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," referring to her possible presidential run as a woman of color.

"When you break things, it is painful. And you get cut. And you bleed."

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