Elizabeth Warren knows a thing about hard work. Married at 19, pregnant shortly afterwards, she raised a child while attending law school.

She then had a second child, passed the bar, and soon divorced. For a while she was a single parent, a story she likes to recount. “A turn here, a turn there, and my life might have been very different, too,” the Massachusetts senator wrote in A Fighting Chance, a 2014 memoir she published while considering a 2016 presidential run.

That time she decided against it. This time it appears Warren is in – bidding to become the US’s first female president.

In a statement emailed to supporters, the 69-year-old former law professor and treasury advisor to Barack Obama, announced she had formed an exploratory committee, the first formal step in any White House bid, and became the first big name Democrat to do so. “I’ve spent my career getting to the bottom of why America’s promise works for some families, but others, who work just as hard, slip through the cracks into disaster,” she said.

To win, Warren is going to need all her wits and capacity for hard work. Even then, she’ll need a bucket load of luck.

As an academic and a campaigner for consumer protection, including attacking big banks for the 2008 collapse that led to eight million Americans losing their jobs and saw four million homes foreclosed, Warren has been passionate and brave.

Earlier this year, she opposed a measure that eased bank regulations imposed in the aftermath of the crisis. “People in this building may forget the devastating impact of the financial crisis 10 years ago,” she said. “But the American people have not forgotten.”

A year earlier, she made headlines, and was gifted a handy campaign slogan, when she refused to stop a speech opposing Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions. “Sen Warren was giving a lengthy speech,” said Republican senate leader Mitch McConnell, issuing an official rebuke. “[She was warned to stop], but she persisted.”

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

But the same reasons Warren is loved by many left-leaning Democrats will likely make her run very difficult. Four years ago, Bernie Sanders and the progressive wing represented by Warren were marginalised by the party, which wrapped its arms around the centrism of Hillary Clinton. Now, because of the performance of Sanders and Warren – and Clinton’s failure – progressive ideas are in the ascendency, as evidenced by the victories of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, and the close run of Stacey Abrams.

In a field that may contain as many as two dozen candidates, and almost certainly containing the likes of Beto O’Rourke and Kamala Harris, Warren will not be the only one occupying the progressive lane.

Nor will she be an entirely fresh face. Yet, if Warren seeks instead to assume the “experience and wisdom” slot, she may find it already occupied either by Sanders or Joe Biden. Neither man has said if they are running and both will face questions about their age – Biden is 76 and Sanders is 77. But in a December poll of voters in Iowa, which holds its primary 13 months from now, Warren was beaten into fourth place, by Biden (32 points), Sanders (19) points and O’Rourke (11). She polled eight, with Kamala Harris on five and Corey Booker of New Jersey on four.

Is it that Warren will “slip between the cracks” of too many stronger brands?

Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is “still considering” whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto O’Rourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he “has been thinking about running for presidency”, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege.” Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor– with a net worth of around $50bn – has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in “the next month or so” whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is “ready to do this” and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a “50 per cent” chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesn’t think he will run for president, but “never say never”. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

While nobody doubts Warren’s intelligence or decency, there are questions about her political acumen. Trump has said he would love to run against her.

“I hope that she is running. I do not think she’ll be difficult at all,” he said earlier this year.

Trump often says things that are not true, but this time he was surely telling the truth. The president had mocked Warren in racist tones ever since she claimed to have Native American ancestry and has played this to his advantage.

He offered to pay $1m to charity if she underwent a test, and in a move that backfired hugely, she went ahead and did so. The results showed she likely had some Native ancestry, but Trump seized on a report that claimed, wrongly, it may have been as little 1/1024.

His supporters ate all that up, while Warren angered some indigenous people who said her decision to undergo DNA testing represented a “settler-colonial racial understanding” of what it is was be Native American. Trump conveniently forgot his promise to donate to charity.

The lack of political nous was underscored by the manner and timing of her declaration. One can understand Warren wanting to get a jump on others in the field, but if she truly believed in herself, would she have made her announcement in an email, the morning of New Year’s Eve?