Progressives hoping to draft Sen. Elizabeth Warren into the 2016 presidential race are undeterred by her latest denial of interest in running, pressing ahead with plans to set up operations in key presidential primary states of New Hampshire and Iowa.
In an interview with former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair published Tuesday in Fortune magazine, Warren flatly denied any plans to run for the White House. “So are you going to run for President?” Bair asked. “No,” Warren responded.
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For Warren-ologists, who have parsed the verb tense her previous denials, the latest one goes slightly farther than her previous comments, in that it apparently rules out future presidential runs in addition to any current plans.
But the draft Warren campaigners are not swayed. “No, it absolutely doesn’t change anything — she’s saying what she’s always said, and that’s why we’re organizing to convince her to run,” Ready for Warren head Erica Sagrans told msnbc.
In a joint statement, liberal groups MoveOn.org and Democracy for America, who are together running a separate draft Warren campaign, agreed. “We understand that reporters are required to follow every twist and turn of the 2016 race, but let’s be clear: This isn’t a new position for Senator Elizabeth Warren. Sen. Warren has been clear for years that she isn’t planning on running. If she were running, there wouldn’t be a need for a draft effort,” they said.
The groups, which have pledged to spend at least a combined $1.25 million on the effort, are beginning to lay groundwork in early presidential nominating states.
On Saturday, Democracy for America and MoveOn will hold a kick off rally in Manchester, New Hampshire for their efforts in the Granite State. The indoor event will feature DFA Executive Director Charles Chamberlain, MoveOn campaign director Victoria Kaplan, and members from both groups.
It’s the first time both groups have joined for the draft campaign in New Hampshire, which holds the nation’s first presidential primary.
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DFA will lead the two groups’ organizing efforts in New Hampshire, while MoveOn will focus on Iowa, with their first field office in the state expected to open very soon, officials with both groups have said. Both groups are in the process of hiring staff in key positions.
Their “Run Warren Run” campaign, which kicked off late last year, has already attracted more 200,000 supporters nationaly.
Ready for Warren has its own field organizers in the key states, and will continue its online organizing, video production, and political efforts. In December, they released a letter from 300 former Obama alumni urging Warren to run.
Alex Seitz-Wald