Chuck Schumer Reveals How He 'Helped Persuade' Elizabeth Warren To Run For Senate

As her first year in the U.S. Senate comes to a close, it appears Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) can thank Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for jump-starting her run.

In a wide-ranging interview with the New Republic published Monday, Schumer was asked about how he has credited Warren as someone shaping his outlook. Upon hearing that question, the senior senator from New York opened up about a story behind Warren's rise to becoming his Senate colleague.

You know I helped persuade her to run. There is a good little story. [Looks to aide] I can tell this. I went to Scott Brown and said, “If you give us the sixtieth vote for the Citizens United rollback, we won’t go after you.” I spent a lot of time lobbying him, and met some of his friends and had them lobby him. He said yes. Then he said no. So I wanted to recruit the strongest candidate against him, and I thought that was Elizabeth Warren.

Schumer's thought proved its worth in November 2012, when Warren raced to a seven-point victory over Brown. Hours after her win, she told the Huffington Post that her victory was thanks to reaffirming the social contract and standing up for the "core of liberalism."

As for whether that momentum will carry into 2016, some pundits have fueled speculation that Warren could run for president. Back in September, Warren said she was not interested, and by November, Schumer had already endorsed former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"It's time for a woman to be president," Schumer said at a November Democratic Party dinner. "And so tonight, here in Iowa, and I won't get this opportunity again, I am urging Hillary Clinton to run for president and, when she does, she will have my full and unwavering support."