Hillary Clinton and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are moving beyond their political differences and embracing one another as key players in the future of their party — and they perhaps could find themselves together on the Democratic presidential ticket.
The likely Democratic presidential nominee and the anti-Wall Street Massachusetts senator will stump together in Cincinnati for the first time, underscoring Mrs. Clinton’s attempt to convince skeptical progressives — particularly younger Democrats who backed Sen. Bernard Sanders in the primary — to fully support her as the general election heats up.
Over the past week, Mrs. Clinton has peppered her speeches with praise for Ms. Warren, highlighting the senator’s work on Wall Street regulation and in establishing the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She’s increasingly associated herself with Ms. Warren in the weeks since June 9, when the senator officially endorsed Mrs. Clinton during an appearance on MSNBC.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump “wants to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the new consumer watchdog that Sen. Warren helped create to protect families from unfair and deceptive business practices,” Mrs. Clinton said in a campaign speech in Columbus last week. “That new agency has already secured billions of dollars in returns for people who’ve been ripped off. Donald Trump wants to get rid of it.”
She’s also seemed to move to the left on economic policy, blasting Wall Street more harshly over the past week than she’s ever done before.
In addition to hitting Wall Street and mentioning Ms. Warren in speeches, the Clinton campaign has made clear it believes the progressive senator is one of the most influential and effective Democrats in the country today. Clinton campaign emails to supporters last week encouraged voters to join the “badass team” supporting Mrs. Clinton — specifically mentioning Bill Clinton, President Obama, Vice President Joseph R. Biden and Ms. Warren as members of that team.
SEE ALSO: Clinton campaign manager: Hillary ‘most transparent secretary of state in history’
Ms. Warren, meanwhile, has emerged as a key surrogate for the Clinton campaign, relentlessly bashing Mr. Trump on Twitter and in her own speeches.
The budding relationship between the two — arguably the two most prominent women in the Democratic Party today — has led to speculation that Ms. Warren could be picked to serve as Mrs. Clinton’s running mate. The Clinton campaign reportedly is vetting Ms. Warren, along with a number of other candidates, including Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and a number of others.
But political analysts say there are potential problems with a Clinton-Warren ticket. Mrs. Clinton is seen by many progressives as the very embodiment of the political and financial establishment, and she has unquestionably close ties to Wall Street, Ms. Warren’s top enemy.
Mrs. Clinton, for example, was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to give three speeches to Goldman Sachs after she left the State Department. So far, she’s refused to release transcripts of those speeches, despite heavy pressure from Mr. Sanders and others.
A Clinton-Warren marriage, specialists say, would require compromise on both parts.
“Their images are at odds,” said Matthew Dallek, an assistant professor of political management at George Washington University. “Warren is this true-blue fighter for progressive causes, whereas Hillary Clinton is more calculating, a political survivor. I’m not saying it couldn’t work, but Warren is really formidable in her own right … being vice president, you really have to subsume your ideas, your personality, to the president. She’s probably stronger as the voice on conscience on the left than she is a vice presidential candidate.”
SEE ALSO: Newt Gingrich: Hillary Clinton ‘wrong on Brexit’
Progressive leaders don’t think it’s a political necessity that Mrs. Clinton choose Ms. Warren as her running mate. Instead, they say, the most important thing is that the former first lady allow Ms. Warren to be an influential figure moving forward.
“One way or another, Hillary Clinton will benefit by ensuring Elizabeth Warren has a significant seat at the table. It’s a win-win for both of them during the campaign and in governing mode,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the powerful liberal advocacy group the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.