Senator Kamala Harris of California said on Monday she would pursue the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, a decision announced with deliberate symbolism on Martin Luther King Jr. Day that cuts to the heart of a potentially history-making candidacy.

Harris, a daughter of a Jamaican-born father and Indian immigrant mother, would be the first black woman as well as the first Indian-American in the Oval Office. Her message focused on social justice and inclusion is aimed at a diverse Democratic electorate eager for representation, while offering a stark contrast to President Donald Trumps brand of nostalgic nationalism.

Truth, justice, decency, equality, freedom. democracy -- these aren’t just words. They’re the values we as Americans cherish, and they’re all on the line now, Harris says in a video released on Monday as she also announced her candidacy on ABCs Good Morning America. That’s why I’m running for president of the United States. I am running to lift those voices.

But she’ll have plenty of rivals, some of whom are better-positioned to appeal to the ascendant economic-populist wing of the Democratic Party.

Black Voters Key

Harris likely path to the Democratic nomination runs through black voters, who made up a quarter of the primary electorate in 2016 and were critical to nominating Hillary Clinton, as well as to electing Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

The backing of African Americans, who dominate the Democratic electorate in early primaries like South Carolina, which is expected to hold its primary in late February 2020, followed by other Southern states in the first half of March, would make her formidable.

Winning her delegate-rich home state of California, which votes relatively early on March 3, compared with its 2016 primary in early June, could make Harris the favorite.

Kamala Harris has -- on paper -- the clearest path to the Democratic nomination because of her potential appeal to various elements of the Democratic Party and new prominence of the California party, said Dan Pfeiffer, a communications strategist for Obamas 2008 campaign and White House. Having said that, being best on paper is often not worth the cost of the paper.

Staffing Up

Her first campaign stop will be on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina, a Harris aide said, while revealing some early hires on Monday. Her campaign manager will be Juan Rodriguez, who ran her 2016 Senate campaign; her campaign chair will be her sister, Maya Harris; and the communications director will be Lily Adams, whos been working in her Senate office.

Challenges abound for the 54-year-old first-term senator. She lacks a paper trail on economic issues important to many on the left, leaving her vulnerable to competitors like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, whose calls to curb income inequality and Wall Street influence date back decades. Harriss 13-year record as a district attorney and Californias attorney general has prompted criticism from progressives who argue she wasnt tough enough on banks, and fought to uphold convictions tainted by exculpatory evidence.

Progressive Sniff Test

The question becomes: what is her economic populist plan and how does that pass the smell test for progressives? said Symone Sanders, a former spokeswoman for Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign. The Vermont senator won over liberals who oppose free-trade deals, favor a larger safety net, and want to crack down on Wall Street.

Waleed Shahid, a spokesman for the left-wing activist group Justice Democrats and a Sanders delegate in 2016, said Harris is a blank slate to many voters.

Right now she hasnt proven herself to be a class warrior pushing for solutions as big as the scale of our problems, Shahid said. Its also likely that her record on criminal justice and banking reform as California AG will continue to plague her if she doesnt adopt a more aggressive message and propose big progressive solutions.

Harris may also have California rivals to fend off in Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Representative Eric Swalwell, whose district is in the Bay Area, both of whom are considering 2020 runs. And some of her California colleagues may support one of her out-of-state rivals.

Kavanaugh Hearing

First elected to the Senate in 2016, she received national attention for her aggressive questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the Senate Judiciary Committee, earning plaudits from the left and criticism from the right.

The Californians pro-immigration positions, including an early refusal to compromise on Trumps border wall, has endeared her to activists prominent in the Latino community. She was the first senator to call on Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to resign for carrying out Trumps family separation policy for illegal border-crossings. Immigration activists say she seeks their counsel and describe her as knowledgeable about the issue.

Shes highlighted racial disparities between whites and blacks on maternal mortality and criminal sentencing. Last year, she campaigned for two prominent black politicians: gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams in Georgia, and Senate nominee Mike Espy in Mississippi. She may not be the only black candidate in the field, with others like New Jersey Senator Cory Booker also considering a run.

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