WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced Monday that she is establishing an exploratory committee to consider a 2020 White House bid, vowing to be a tenacious advocate for economic fairness and rebuilding the middle class.

In filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to allow her to begin raising and spending money to benefit her likely candidacy, Warren becomes the first big-name Democrat to take formal steps to enter what could be a crowded, expensive and extended contest for the party’s presidential nomination.

Warren quickly shared the news with her supporters via email and social media, calling on them to join her in a fight against the "dark path” favored by special interests that she says is hurting the middle class, and political corruption that “is poisoning our democracy."

“Our government is supposed to work for all of us, but instead, it has become a tool for the wealthy and well-connected,” she says in a more than four-minute video announcing her exploratory committee. “If we organize together, if we fight together, if we persist together, we can win."