Sen. Cory Booker Cory Anthony BookerBipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death DHS opens probe into allegations at Georgia ICE facility Democratic lawmakers call for an investigation into allegations of medical neglect at Georgia ICE facility MORE (D-N.J.) on Friday announced that he is running for president in 2020.

The former Newark, N.J., mayor made the announcement on the first day of Black History Month.

ADVERTISEMENT

"The history of our nation is defined by collective action; by interwoven destinies of slaves and abolitionists; of those born here and those who chose America as home; of those who took up arms to defend our country, and those who linked arms to challenge and change it," Booker said in a video released Friday morning.

“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,” he said.

"I'm Cory Booker and I'm running for president of the United States of America," he added.

Booker’s announcement has been highly anticipated as he joins what is expected to be a crowded field of Democratic contenders against President Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE.

The New Jersey senator on Thursday began calling members of Congress, including senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus which Booker is a member of, to ask for their support.

Booker has long hinted at a 2020 bid, traveling on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to early primary state South Carolina, where African-American voters are a key constituency for the Democratic Party.

More than half a dozen U.S. senators have declared they are running or are seriously considering White House bids in what is expected to be the most diverse field of candidates ever.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) have all announced campaigns and have already begun hitting the campaign trail.

Other senators who have indicated interest in running for the Democratic nomination in 2020 include Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). Sanders is reportedly preparing to launch a campaign that he’ll announce soon.

Also running are Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi GabbardRepublicans call on DOJ to investigate Netflix over 'Cuties' film Hispanic Caucus campaign arm endorses slate of non-Hispanic candidates Gabbard says she 'was not invited to participate in any way' in Democratic convention MORE (D-Hawaii), former Rep. John Delaney John DelaneyCoronavirus Report: The Hill's Steve Clemons interviews Rep. Rodney Davis Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer says Trump right on China but wrong on WHO; CDC issues new guidance for large gatherings The Hill's Coronavirus Report: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says country needs to rethink what 'policing' means; US cases surpass 2 million with no end to pandemic in sight MORE (D-Md.), former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro and Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind.

Booker, if elected, would be the first unmarried man elected to White House since 1884.

Booker, 49, is the youngest among his Senate colleagues in the race but he notes in his announcement video that he is "the only senator who goes home to a low-income, inner-city community" in Newark, "the first community that took a chance on me."

Scott Wong and Mike Lillis contributed to this report which was updated at 7:53 a.m.