Massachusetts

Democratic Consultant: Warren Needs to Get Past Questions Surrounding Her Ancestry

A Democratic consultant says part of the reason Elizabeth Warren is defined by the Pocahontas myth is because Warren hasn't defined herself

Reaction has poured in since Sen. Elizabeth Warren took the first major step toward launching a widely anticipated campaign for the presidency, announcing Monday that she's forming an exploratory committee for the 2020 campaign.

The Massachusetts Democrat is hoping her reputation as a populist fighter can help her navigate a Democratic field that could include nearly two dozen candidates.

While most Democrats like Warren, admiring her tenacious spirit and appreciating her fiery speeches, that doesn't necessarily mean they want her to run for president.

"I think her strengths are that she fights for the little guy," Bambi Snodgrass said.

Snodgrass was thrilled to see Warren kick off her 2020 Presidential bid, though the North Shore activist is not yet ready to commit.

"I may be with her," Snodgrass said. "I want to choose the best candidate."

Snodgrass says she has been perplexed by some of the reaction to Warren’s candidacy, even from Democrats.

"There are people that really think she is too strident and shrill and they don’t like her, even though they do have a mortgage, they do have a credit card, they are the little guy," Snodgrass said.

Supporters say if Warren were a man she would be described as confident and courageous.

"It’s only polarizing because it’s polarizing white men," Snodgrass said. "Strident and shrill seems to kind of be a code word for strong woman and I don’t really want to hear what you have to say."

Democratic consultant Michael Goldman says Warren "needs to spend the next three months telling her story again and again and again and again." 

Goldman says Warren needs to first get past questions surrounding her ancestry while highlighting her poor upbringing in Oklahoma.

"Right now, part of the reason that the Pocahontas myth defines her is because she has not defined herself," Goldman said.

President Donald Trump has expressed excitement at the possibility of running against Elizabeth Warren. Asked if he thinks Warren believes she can beat him, Trump said “you would have to ask her psychiatrist.“

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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