Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., said Thursday that he wanted Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to make a White House bid in 2016, adding that she had a good chance of knocking out front-runner Hillary Clinton if she did. The statement reflects the growing frustration within the Democratic ranks over the lack of alternatives to Clinton in the race.
Ellison, who is chairman of the liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the announcement was not an official endorsement of Warren, who has repeatedly said she is not running for president. But he made clear that he would be tempted to if she changed her mind.
“I would love to see Elizabeth Warren in this race. It would be fantastic. I think that it would help the quality of the debate and she may win, but even if she doesn’t, I think she’d make Hillary Clinton a better candidate,” Ellison said during a teleconference with activist group Democracy for America.
The group and Moveon.org have been pushing Warren to change her mind on running, pledging to raise $1.25 million to get her to run. In an editorial late last month, the Nation similarly called for alternative to Clinton — not necessarily Warren — to emerge.
Many liberal activists view Clinton with suspicion, seeing her as unreliable on liberal issues. The former secretary of state is seen as too hawkish and too close to big business. Warren’s economic populism is much more to their liking. Clinton herself has lately adopted some of Warren’s rhetoric in an attempt to build support in the party’s liberal wing.
Liberals argue that even if Warren or another liberal challenger lost to Clinton in the primary, it would be worthwhile because it would force the party more in their direction.
“I don’t think it would be helpful or healthy for our Democratic candidate not to go through the sharpening process of a primary, where she could just walk into the general without having committed to any real, real important economic populism,” Ellison said.
