Elizabeth Warren takes the center stage at the Democratic convention Monday as both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders face new challenges in unifying a party base torn apart by divisive primaries and, more recently, the leak of damning DNC emails.
The Massachusetts senator was talked about as a potential running mate for Clinton who would help shore up the left wing of the party that Sanders energized as has not fully galvanized behind Clinton.
Clinton instead chose Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, but Warren still stands to play a major role in the Clinton campaign, emerging as one of the sharpest critics of Donald Trump and getting under his skin in a way that few other Democrats have.
Warren told the Boston Globe Sunday evening that despite not getting the VP nod, she plans to “put every ounce of her energy” into electing Hillary Clinton and reclaiming the majority in the US Senate in November’s election.
“I’m committed to getting Hillary Clinton elected president of the United States,” Warren said. “I believe that Democrats are fired up to win the White House and take back the Senate.”
She called Kaine “an honest guy and a smart guy.”
Warren has trolled Trump repeatedly on Twitter, mocking his style and tone, and emerging, in the process, even more popular among Democratic activists.
Trump has repeatedly mocked Warren as “Pocahontas” — referring to a kerfuffle where she claimed Native American status during her time in academia. Warren has said that stories of her Native heritage have been passed down in her family.
Warren is only a first-term senator, but has quickly emerged as a hero among progressives. Efforts to draft her for a White House run last year fell flat, but she maintained her strong standing on the left, with many eagerly watching to see who she whether she would endorse Sanders.
Warren first emerged as a progressive hero leading the banking and financing reforms that President Barack Obama sought in the wake of the Great Recession.