Sen. Elizabeth Warren announces bid for third term

March 27 (UPI) -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced a run for re-election on Monday in a two-minute video that appeared online, saying there is still more work to be done for working Americans.

Warren, D-Mass., has made a reputation for herself as a tough-as-nails banking regulator and a dogged consumer advocate and took the national stage as she launched a bid for president in 2020.

"I first ran for Senate because I saw how the system is rigged for the rich and the powerful and against everyone else," Warren said in her campaign video. "Now, I'm running for Senate again because there's a lot more we've got to do. Pass a wealth tax. Make childcare affordable. Protect our coastal communities."

She has also become a longtime lightning rod for the Republican Party as anti-business and wide-ranging liberal policy positions -- from taxes to climate change.

Warren touched on hot topics including American infrastructure and the integrity of the financial sector, pledging to "build a 21st-century transportation system across all of Massachusetts" and "put stricter rules on banks so they don't crash and hurt working people."

Warren was first elected in 2012 after intense Republican opposition managed to prevent her from becoming chair of the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau during the Obama administration. She easily won re-election in 2018.

"We know it won't be easy. We've seen the powerful forces against us and how extreme the Republicans are," Warren said. "But the last 10 years have taught us that when we organize, when we hold those in power accountable when we fight righteous fights, then we can make positive change."