BREAKING: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Announces She’s Running for President on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show

The suspense over Senator Kirsten Gillibrand‘s (D-NY) potential presidential run is over, as the New York Democrat officially announced her exploratory committee during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Tuesday night.

Host Stephen Colbert asked Gillibrand “do you have anything you would like to announce?”

“Yes,” Gillibrand answered, and with a comically long pause, Colbert asked “What would that be, madam?”

“I’m filing an exploratory committee for President of the United States, tonight,” Gillibrand answered.

Colbert thanked Gillibrand, and asked her, “Why do you want to be president of the United States?”

“I’m going to run for president of the United States because as a young mom, I’m going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own, which is why I believe that health Care should be a right and not a privilege,” Gillibrand said.

“That’s why I believe we should have better public schools for our kids, it shouldn’t matter what block you grow up on,” she continued. “And I believe that anybody who wants to work hard enough should be able to get whatever job training they need to earn their way into the middle class.”

“But you are never going to accomplish any of these things if you don’t take on the system of power that make all of that impossible,” Gillibrand said. “Which is taking on institutional racism. It’s taking on the corruption and the greed in Washington, taking on the special interest that right legislation in the dead of night. And I know I have the compassion, the courage, and the fearless determination to get that done.”

The episode will air Tuesday night.

Watch the clip above, via CBS.