Liz Looms Large in the Dem Race

Elizabeth was my first choice for President, and I think of the progressive part of the Democrats as the Elizabeth Warren Wing of the party.  She and Bernie are one and the same. In a perfect world, what a ticket they would make together!!! If she makes an endorsement, it will be Bernie over Clinton, of that I am sure.  Elizabeth is the right person to be the first woman President, to come into that position with REAL change.  If Bernie makes it to the White House, she will definitely be one of his chief friends and advisers, and will be poised to become the first woman President after his term(s).  The ENOUGH IS ENOUGH revolution of the people has begun and is gaining in momentum every day!

Elizabeth Warren Looms Large In 2016 Presidential Race

She's not running, and she hasn't endorsed. But her influence is everywhere.

02/05/2016 10:20 pm ET

• Amanda Terkel Senior Political Reporter, The Huffington Post

Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is a strongly felt presence in the 2016 presidential election, even though she isn't running. Some voters are eager to hear where she stands on the matter of Bernie vs. Hillary.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Betsy Burtis, 52, is one of the most sought-after people in the country this week: She's an undecided voter in New Hampshire.

"I think Bernie speaks to my heart, and Hillary speaks to my head," the Derry resident told The Huffington Post Wednesday after a CNN town hall forum featuring Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. 

Burtis didn't think she'd have to go through all this. She was a volunteer for Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's presidential campaign, until he dropped out after the Iowa caucuses. 

Burtis said if O'Malley were to endorse either former Secretary of State Clinton, or independent Vermont Sen. Sanders, that wouldn't really make a difference in her decision. But there is one person's backing that would: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

"It would make a difference. ... I was really hoping she would run this time," Burtis said, adding that she wanted to see Warren become the first female president. 

Warren, of course, isn't running. She resisted a loud effort to draft her into the race, repeatedly insisting she had no interest in the Oval Office. Although she also hasn't endorsed anyone yet, she is a constant presence in the race. 

Without Warren, Sanders likely would not be the phenomenon he is now. His entire candidacy is based on exploiting an intra-party rift that Warren opened up by talking about Wall Street after the crash. By making corporate accountability a top issue for the party and highlighting the ways Democrats in Washington weren't taking it seriously, she helped create the coalition that is now backing Sanders. 

Sanders' primary message is that big money and corporate interests have tilted the economy and political system against regular people. It's a theme that Warren has long made her trademark, as Sanders readily points out. 

"When I talk about our economy, I use the term a 'rigged economy.' People like Elizabeth Warren and I use that term," Sanders said Friday at a "Politics and Eggs" breakfast forum in Manchester.

Sanders also invoked Warren during Thursday night's Democratic debate when responding to Clinton's resistance to restoring the banking law known as Glass-Steagall. 

"Folks who have looked at this issue for a long time, whether it's Elizabeth Warren or many other economists, will tell you that right now, yes, we do need a 21st century Glass-Steagall legislation," Sanders said. 

But Clinton, too, has tried to associate herself with the Massachusetts senator. On Thursday, Clinton retweeted Warren's criticism of a House GOP bill making it harder for the federal government to go after financial crimes.