Elizabeth Warren Takes Surprising Lead in Mass. Senate Race
Elizabeth Warren is enjoying a surprising surge in favorability over Republican Senator Scott Brown, in her quest to recapture the seat held by late Sen. Ted Kennedy for over four decades.
Warren, a Harvard Law professor who was passed over by President Barack Obama to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau due to objections by Republicans, had always cast herself as a champion of the middle class who excelled as a consumer advocate. It is perhaps this sense of advocacy which convinced her to launch her political campaign.
When asked about the possibility of running for office, Warren told MSNBC, "Massachusetts does beckon, in that it's my home, I need to do that thinking from home ... not from Washington."
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Her early showing is viewed with excitement by Democrats who are still smarting over the loss of Democratic candidate Martha Coakly to Scott Brown in a special election last year to fill Sen. Kennedy's long held seat.
Warren has a slight lead over Brown, 46 percent to 43 percent, according to a new survey by Public Policy Polling. It also shows Warren's name recognition in the Bay State has jumped 24 points.
The PPP poll found that Elizabeth Warren's favorability rating has almost doubled since June. Warren has gone from 21 percent favorable to 40 percent, while her opponent Scott Brown has seen his favorability rating plummet in the state.
Last December, Brown had a 53 percent/29 percent favorable/unfavorable split. While he has only lost 9 points from his favorability rating, in just nine months his unfavorable rating has steadily climbed from 29 percent to 45 percent.
The Massachusetts Senate race will be one of the most important in 2012. Many pundits believe it is a must-win for Democrats if they are to maintain control in the Senate.
Warren said she will focus her campaign on fighting for the middle class and enhanced consumer protection programs in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
