Elizabeth Warren Wins U.S. Senate Seat

November 7, 2012

POLITICO – Liberal icon Elizabeth Warren defeated Republican Sen. Scott Brown on Tuesday, overcoming early campaign stumbles to put the Massachusetts Senate seat that the late Sen. Ted Kennedy occupied for more than four decades back in Democratic hands.

Warren, who will become the state’s first female senator, was ahead 53 percent to 47 percent with almost half of precincts reporting, clinching the win. Her victory in the marquee Senate race of the election cycle further elevates Warren’s status as a leader of the progressive movement and could add her name to the list of Democrats’ potential presidential prospects.

In a passionate victory speech shortly before 11 p.m., Warren vowed to be a senator in the mold of Kennedy, fighting for a “level playing field” for working-class families.

“To everyone who shared your hopes and dreams with me and put your faith in my ability to fight for you, I want you to know this,” Warren said. “I will never forget, I will always carry your stories with me in my heart.”

“I won’t just be your senator,” she added. “I will be your champion.”

Warren’s supporters, jammed into a crowded and raucous ballroom in downtown Boston, roared when the networks called the race for the Democrat. As Brown’s concession speech was aired here, Warren’s fans began chanting her name, twice drowning Brown out.

“She has received the high honor of holding the people’s seat,” Brown said, who said he offered Warren his “sincerest congratulations.”

Deadlocked for most of the summer, the race settled in Warren’s favor in the final weeks, according to polls.

The Brown-Warren battle royale was undoubtedly the most high-profile Senate election in the nation. Both candidates were adept at raising cash, making this race the most expensive election in Massachusetts history, according to The Associated Press.

Yet the contest was unique in that both candidates stuck to a pledge aimed at banning super PACs from the campaign. In a Senate cycle marked by millions in spending from influential outside organizations, Brown and Warren agreed to donate cash to charity if a third-party group intervened on their behalf.