Once a rumoured presidential candidate for the 2016 US Presidential election, Elizabeth Warren has now officially thrown her hat in the ring for the 2020 election. The Massachusetts Senator has been a strong voice in the Democratic party over the last decade, as well as an outspoken political opponent of President Trump. But who is Elizabeth Warren? What makes her qualify to be president of the United States?

Warren was born in Oklahoma City to a working class family, and later attended Houston University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science. She then went on to obtain her law degree from Rutgers Law School in Newark, and began working as a lawyer. Warren later became a law professor, lecturing in many college and universities across the United States, including the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law. She was a recipient of the Sacks-Freund Award for excellence in teaching during her tenure.

Warren entered politics in 2012 when she decided to run for Senator in Massachusetts, against Republican candidate Scott Brown. Since her election to office, Warren has claimed to be an advocate for the working class, as she too grew up as part of the poor working class. Warren sought to tackle big corporations who violated consumer rights. When the financial crisis hit in 2008, President Obama appointed her as Chair of Congressional Oversight Panel for Troubled Assets Relief Program. The aim of the program was to hold Wall Street banks, and other financial institutions, accountable, and to protect the consumers.

The Massachusetts Senator came into a spell of controversy when she claimed to have Native American heritage, and having used this to get a professorship. Many have come out and criticised Warren for falsely claiming Native American heritage, and she has since apologized to the Cherokee Nation after a DNA test proved her claims to be false. She has faced serious backlash from Republicans, as well as President Trump, who has called her ‘Pocahontas’ for lying, and inauthentic.

While Warren may be experienced in the world of politics, she still has to win over the American public if she hopes to ascertain residency at the famous 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

 

 

 

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Image courtesy of Joe Crimmings via Flickr

 

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