Elizabeth Warren Floated As Potential Candidate To Challenge Scott Brown

Liberal bloggers at DailyKos are seeking to draft a Democratic challenger to Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) with a new campaign to propel financial guru and former Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren into the 2012 primary.

Warren currently serves as special adviser to the recently created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and won 2009 Bostonian of the Year, two accolades that blogger Chris Bowers thinks will make her a viable candidate to help Democrats take back the Bay State Senate seat. Scott Brown, who won the seat of the late Edward Kennedy in a special election in 2010, was a strong critic of Warren during her CFPB appointment.

More from the Daily Kos about the "Draft Elizabeth Warren" petition:

But Scott Brown is popular. So, in order to win in Massachusetts, we're going to need an energetic candidate who knows how to pick and win fights. We're gonna need someone who can deliver a populist economic message that connects with the millions of voters facing economic hardship--a message which is distinct from both Wall Street and the Tea Party. And we are going to need someone who has a record of success to back up that rhetoric, so voters know it isn't just talk.

Elizabeth Warren meets all of these criteria like almost no one else can. As the head of the Congressional Oversight Panel on TARP, she led to fight to expose corruption in the Wall Street bailout. As an outside advocate, and now Assistant to the President, she basically created the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on her own. She is an extremely experienced speaker, erudite enough to have been considered for the Supreme Court, a best-selling author on personal finance, and packs a populist punch in defense of the middle-class.

Daily Kos also finds promise in a local opinion poll, contracted by Kossacks in Massachusetts, which reportedly found that 89 percent were in favor of a Warren candidacy.

Comments

[AbeMartin]

08:30 AM on 02/20/2011

The interest in persuading her to run for Senate is driven by the sincere and well-founded fear that the big banks and credit card companies have of her.  Obama's Geithner/Summers/Bernacke cabal has rutted her nomination as the nation's consumer Czar in delays, political wrangling and Rham Emanuelle engineered backstabbing of her "suitability."  Kicking her "upstairs" to challenge Scott Brown has only upsides for the big shots and lobbyists who fear that she may actually get some oversight of "Bankers Gone Wild" (Buy two CD's of CEO's rolling around naked on their yachts with millions of dollars of cash for only $12.95 + s&h), or knocking off one of the few Teapublicans who has a chance of winning in 2016.

[dogofwar]

01:29 PM on 02/18/2011

It will be tough for Ms Warren after the Republikkkans defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I think she could fight the better fight in the Senate. Go Elizabeth!!!!!

[TurnToTheLeft]

08:19 PM on 02/17/2011

Elizabeth Warren is necessary for the survival of the recently created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I am a big fan of her work and enjoy seeing her interviewed on MSNBC. I would vote for Elizabeth Warren if I could but I live in California. She would be a great successor to the seat long held by Senator Teddy Kennedy - protector of the poor and powerless. However, she can't beat Sen. Scott Brown in the beauty, talent, pageant race. Democrats need a more charismatic candidate to unseat Scott Brown.

[carolina919]

11:25 PM on 04/05/2011

She might be able to pull it off but I'd prefer to see her heading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as an asset to everyone's Senators. This is one fight Obama should choose to pick with Republicans. Even if they eventually don't get the votes, it's still an upside for Democrats...and those who vote against her are on the record....or is that the stumbling block here?

[FathomTruePolitics com]

03:46 PM on 02/17/2011

How could anyone EVER unseat Brown?? He drives a pick-up truck, remember??

[WaSkiva]

09:23 AM on 02/17/2011

She might be considered an elite now. Afterall, she does have an education.

[boscobear]

09:13 AM on 02/17/2011

Is Brown really that bad? From what I've read, while he is a Republican, he seems moderate and someone that Dem's could work with. There are other, much worse Republicans out that that need defeated!

[frappe]

09:19 AM on 02/17/2011

Then he should change his party affiliation to Democrat.

To my way of thinking, the last thing that this country needs is another Republican in the Senate...or the House, for that matter.

[JimR]

09:47 AM on 02/17/2011

He is not bad at all. In fact, he provided a key vote in the overturning of DADT.

I think Democrats are still seething that the seat once held by Ted Kennedy went to a Republican, even if he is a moderate Republican.

[ScorpioTop]

08:15 PM on 02/17/2011

Just look at Brown's number one campaign contributors, lobbyists! Brown votes for corporations not the well being of the people.

[Cranmer1549]

09:02 AM on 02/17/2011

Elizabeth Warren needs to be running for president, not senator.

[tr88]

07:57 PM on 02/17/2011

Based on what achievements or are we looking for another inexperienced, political novice from Harvard law again so soon?

[ScorpioTop]

08:16 PM on 02/17/2011

Better a novice with a conscience, than a tool of the corporations.

[Punzelda]

04:52 PM on 03/04/2011

Frankly, I'd rather fill up ALL the seats with highly educated but politically inexperienced people who make less than $100,000 a year and actually WORK for a living. They can write bills that are one-paragraph long, hammer the gavel all day and maybe actually accomplish something for their fellow workers. In the election system we have now, it isn't political experience that matters, it's MONEY.

[frappe]

08:58 AM on 02/17/2011

Elizabeth Warren would make a great senator, one who we can trust to do what is truly in the best interest of the public. Her values are solid and not for sale.

[ylobrkrd]

01:14 AM on 02/18/2011

I agree to being senator. It's too soon for President.

[savroD]

08:53 AM on 02/17/2011

I'll bet she can win too!

[Deefor Arrow]

08:41 AM on 02/17/2011

Massachusetts has a history of not electing qualified women.

[frappe]

09:00 AM on 02/17/2011

I disagree. Can you provide examples -- just a couple would suffice.

[splinky]

01:58 PM on 02/17/2011

How do you provide examples of people who were not elected?

[ScorpioTop]

08:21 PM on 02/17/2011

Mass. has elected many women, currently 50 legislators.

[Catch 22]

08:38 AM on 02/17/2011

The reality is that even before a potential candidate announces, the lobbyists start to circle. This will also happen here, and they will decide if they will support or sabotage Ms. Warren. From the first day after being elected the candidate starts fundraising for reslection. Ms. Warren will be no different. Having said that I wiold rather support her before any other candidate, with the probable exception of Feingold.

[fraserseth]

08:36 AM on 02/17/2011

People need to chill about nominating Elizabeth Warren for every position possible....

[Stephen Salbod]

08:28 AM on 02/17/2011

YES! Brilliant idea! Brown talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk. Elizabeth can do both and chew gum too!

[ScorpioTop]

08:27 PM on 02/17/2011

Brown has voted consistently against jobs.

[mcmutter]

08:12 AM on 02/17/2011

Banks beating the he// out of the common man .... thats the Amerikan way .....

[jwredd]

08:01 AM on 02/17/2011

Ain't gonna happen but if it did I'd move to MA just to vote for her......