Democrat Elizabeth Warren picked up a big endorsement on Tuesday when her campaign announced that President Barack Obama is backing her bid for Massachusetts' U.S. Senate seat.
"Elizabeth Warren will be a strong, tireless and determined advocate for the people of Massachusetts, building on her remarkable record of working to help middle class families get ahead," said Obama. "Her life's work has been helping ordinary Americans get the fair shot they need and deserve. Elizabeth's passionate advocacy on behalf of consumers led to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The agency is now protecting people from being taken advantage of by powerful companies. I know I can count on Elizabeth to stand with me to create jobs and opportunity for the people of Massachusetts and keep our country moving forward."
Obama's endorsement isn't entirely a surprise; no one expected him to back Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), the man whom Warren is trying to unseat. But the president's endorsement is still notable, as he doesn't get involved in every Senate race.
Obama tapped Warren, a Harvard law professor, to set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2010, although he never officially nominated her to head the agency due to strong Republican opposition -- a move that angered many progressives.
"I am honored to have President Obama's endorsement and eager to work with him to help the people of Massachusetts and to level the playing field to help middle class families get ahead," Warren said.
Warren is trying to appeal to those voting for Obama in deep-blue Massachusetts, mentioning repeatedly that she supports his reelection and his policies, while Brown does not. "For President Obama to get the things he wants to get done to move this country forward he needs a Democratic Senate," she recently told HuffPost.
According to HuffPost Pollster, Warren currently has a narrow lead over Brown in the polls:


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