Elizabeth Warren To Announce Senate Run Wednesday

Elizabeth Warren To Announce Senate Run Wednesday

WASHINGTON -- Consumer advocate and former White House official Elizabeth Warren will announce on Wednesday that she is running for the United States Senate seat currently held by Scott Brown (R-Mass.), a close source tells The Huffington Post.

The announcement will not come as a surprise; Warren has spent the last few weeks traveling across Massachusetts and speaking at several high-profile political events as part of a statewide listening tour. Still, her formal entrance into the race is likely to be cheered by progressives and national Democrats alike, as Warren is both beloved by the base and represents one of the party's best chances to unseat Brown.

“The pressures on middle class families are worse than ever, but it is the big corporations that get their way in Washington,” said Warren, in a statement obtained by The Huffington Post. “I want to change that. I will work my heart out to earn the trust of the people of Massachusetts.”

The consumer advocate will be spending the day tomorrow greeting commuters in Boston, before travelling to New Bedford, Framingham, Worcester, and Springfield. She has already picked up an endorsement from a prominent nurses union in the state and has been informally courted by other unions.

National Democrats are wary of saying much, if anything, about her candidacy, lest they give off the impression that they are meddling in a state primary. But it has been apparent for some time now that party officials view her as a more formidable candidate than Brown's other prospective challengers, including Newton Mayor Setti Warren, social entrepreneur Alan Khazei and state Rep. Thomas Conroy.

One recent poll had Warren trailing Brown by just nine percentage points, with more than a year remaining before the election.

UPDATE: 6:50 p.m. -- In response to the news about Warren's candidacy, Khazei released the following statement:

I welcome Elizabeth Warren into the race and believe that competition is good for the Democratic Party and the Commonwealth. Over the next year we will have a full and thoughtful debate, and ultimately the voters will decide who will be the most effective Senator.

"I have spent my life working in communities to create opportunities and jobs from the ground up, and if elected to the Senate, I will fight to empower people and deliver results for Massachusetts families who want their government to work for them again.

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