Tuesday, 16 August 2011

Elizabeth Warren Getting Serious About a Senate Run

A national liberal group has thrown its weight behind Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Warren in a bid to nudge her into the race against U.S. Sen. Scott Brown — a move she is now actively weighing.


The Progressive Change Campaign Committee has reportedly raised $100,000 to help Warren and claims to have nearly 54,000 volunteers ready to roll if she opts in to the crowded field of Democrats who want to reclaim Ted Kennedy’s former seat.


A Democratic operative close to Warren said the PCCC support is “appreciated” and that she’s “focused on meeting with and talking with grassroots folks across Massachusetts.


Another Democratic strategist predicted she’d be able to raise funds to compete with Brown’s $10 million war chest.


“She can raise money nationally,” the strategist said. “If she gets in, the money that will come into the race on the Scott Brown side will be astounding.”


Massachusetts GOP chairman Jennifer Nassour countered: “If the Massachusetts Democratic primary were decided by Washington insiders and policy wonks in ivory towers, Professor Warren would likely be the front-runner. Time will tell whether the Massachusetts Democratic political machine caves in to the Washington, D.C., establishment pushing her candidacy.


Also,a reports that Warren is meeting with top Democratic Party strategists in the state, including Doug Rubin, chief strategist for Gov. Deval Patrick, and Kyle Sullivan, Patrick’s former press secretary. Sources tell Huffington Post that Warren would be spending Friday calling the governor, other Democratic Party leaders and activists around the state.


Warren’s blog post begins with the kind of folksy autobiography we’ve come to expect from her, but in greater detail. She talks about the scrimping and saving her family had to do to get by, including free haircuts by her Aunt Bert and Easter dresses bought by her Aunt Bea. She also talks about how her family lost its car and her mom had to take a job answering the phone at Sears after her father suffered a heart attack and had to switch jobs.
“I never shook off the worry: did we have enough money to cover basic expenses, enough money to help our parents retire, enough money to build secure futures for our children?” Warren writes.
If she runs, Warren would challenge Senator Matt Brown, a Republican who beat Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley in 2010. Coakley was considered an easy favorite, but Brown won by a comfortable margin of 52 to 47%.

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