But these two issues hold significant appeal for the Democratic base that believes Obama has grown too close to Wall Street and worries that Clinton will be more of the same. This has given Warren an opening to gain even more influence in the party as the primaries approach, and she’s taken it.
This doesn’t mean that she will run. On Tuesday, her press secretary said, “As Senator Warren has said many times, she is not running for president.” But note the present tense—Warren could still run in the future.
It’s a tough decision, since Warren still has little chance of winning the Democratic nomination. A CNN poll released on December 2 found that 65 percent of Democrats support Clinton, with just 10 percent favoring Warren. For comparison, Clinton’s current lead is about three times as large now as it was over Barack Obama during the comparable period before the 2008 election.
That may not matter, though. Warren can have a significant influence on Hillary Clinton and the Democratic primary even if she doesn’t come close to winning. In fact, she could lose the primary and come out an even larger force in the party. That’s exactly what happened with her losing battle this week. It could be a sign of bigger fights to come.
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