Elizabeth Warren’s Presidential Push

May 07, 2012

by Chris Cassidy
Boston Herald

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren rolled out a new ad this week featuring President Obama singing her praises in the White House Rose Garden - so could a Bay State presidential-campaign stop to rally the troops for Warren be far behind?

"Obama needs every Senate seat he can get, and if they can get Massachusetts back into the Democratic column, all the better," Boston University political historian Thomas Whalen said. "If he can make a difference, I think he'll be there."

Of course, Obama is fighting his own re-election battle and a trip to bluest-of-blue Massachusetts could be a waste of precious political time when tight battleground states are up for grabs.

"If he's here often, that indicates he's doing well nationally," Peter Ubertaccio of Stonehill College said. "I don't expect you're going to see that much of him personally, because ... he's going to spend time in swing states."

But that wouldn't stop other national Democrats from riding into town, like former President Bill Clinton, who rarely shies away from a friendly Massachusetts crowd.

"Clinton would be quite a coup," Ubertaccio said. "He's enormously popular. Whenever someone of that stature comes in, all the media attention is on you. He's the kind of centrist Democrat that she needs."

The last time Obama campaigned for a Massachusetts U.S. Senate hopeful, he was too late to rescue Attorney General Martha Coakley's sinking campaign.

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown would be able to argue Warren is incapable of shoring up the election on her own and in need of big-name help, Ubertaccio said.

Warren might do herself a much bigger favor by looking within the Bay State's own boundaries, Whalen said.

"The most important endorsement is Mayor Menino," Whalen said. "He has that vote-getting machine that will make the difference in a close race. He really pulled out the stops for Deval Patrick. She's wasting her time if she's going to push outside national figures - go to Menino."

DeFranco Factor

Brown may not be Warren's most immediate opponent. Democrat Marisa DeFranco, a North Shore immigration attorney, declared her candidacy long before Warren entered the race. The only difference between her and other one-time candidates, such as Alan Khazei and state Rep. Tom Conroy (D-Wayland), is that she never dropped out.

In fact, DeFranco has been collecting the 10,000 required signatures and now needs 15 percent support at the state's Democratic convention next month.

If she hits that benchmark, she'll appear on the ballot with Warren in the fall primary.

No Gov. Martha

For the record, Attorney General Martha Coakley once again denied that she has aspirations for the Corner Office this week, telling Boston radio station WTKK she will not run for governor in 2014.

Stay tuned.

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