MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Joe Sestak, a former representative for Pennsylvania, announced on Sunday he was running for president, joining a field of 24 Democratic contenders. The former 3-star admiral acknowledged he announced his 2020 presidential bid later than others so as to be with his daughter who has twice battled brain cancer.

"What Americans most want today is someone who is accountable to them, above self, above party, above any special interest… I want to be that President who serves the American people the way they deserve to be served", he wrote on his campaign website.

Sestak asserted that his two main objectives as president would be "putting a brake on climate change" and "putting an end to an illiberal world order’s injustices, from China’s control of the 5G network to Russian interference in democratic elections".

Some US-based political journalists described Sestak as a "tyrannical and abusive boss", claiming that he was "privately much different from the image he projected in public", according to the Washington Monthly media outlet.

According to CNN, Sestak will kick off his campaign with a discussion in the lobby of the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, on Sunday afternoon.

The 2020 US presidential elections now have 25 Democratic politicians, including Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris.

The first Democratic debate is scheduled for Wednesday, featuring Warren, O’Rourke, Booker, Klobuchar, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, Hawaii Republican Tulsi Gabbard, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Ohio Republican Tim Ryan and former Maryland Republican John Delaney.

A recent Morning Consult poll showed that the top issues for Democratic voters are the economy and health care. The survey also found that, in light of a wave of new abortion laws in several states, women’s issues are a rising priority for Democrats, according to the Time report.

Incumbent President Donald Trump, a member of the Republican Party, also launched his re-election campaign.

Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld is challenging Trump for the Republican Party nomination.