Eric Swalwell announced his campaign on CBS’s The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert (SAUL LOEB)

Washington (AFP) – Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump in congress, on Monday announced he was running for president, joining an already crowded pool of 2020 hopefuls from his party.

The 38-year-old Swalwell announced his campaign on CBS’s The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert, due to air Monday night.

“I’ve already done a lot but I can do more,” said Swalwell, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.

“I’ve been in Congress for six years. I’ve defended our country from the Intelligence Committee while Democracy has been on the ropes.”

Gun control reform is a key issue for the four-term lawmaker, whose district is in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“I’ve talked to kids who sit in their classroom afraid that they’ll be the next victim of gun violence,” he told Colbert. 

“I see Washington do nothing about it after the moments of silence. And I see lawmakers who love their guns more than they love our kids.

“I’m ready to solve these problems,” he said. “I’m running for president of the United States.”

Swalwell joins more than a dozen other Democrats who have put their name forward for the race so far — including Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke and Pete Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

Disclaimer: Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.