Liberal group pushing Warren to run for president

WASHINGTON — A prominent liberal group is urging Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren to seek the White House in 2016 and plans to spend $1 million in support of a new effort in early presidential primary states.

MoveOn.org said Tuesday it was polling its 8 million members on whether to launch a “Run Warren Run” campaign. If it receives approval, as expected, the group will try to persuade Warren to enter the next presidential campaign even though she has said she is not running.

“There is too much at stake to have anything other than our best candidates in the debate,” said Ilya Sheyman, executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action. “We are prepared to show Senator Warren she has the support she needs to enter — and win — the presidential race.”

The populist senator remains a favorite of liberals, some of whom are wary of the leading potential Democratic candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Warren has been one of the party’s leading voices on the need for economic reforms, a tougher stance against Wall Street and new efforts to boost wages for middle-class families.

A Warren spokeswoman, Lacey Rose, said the senator’s outlook was unchanged. “As Senator Warren has said many times, she is not running for president,” Rose said.

If the draft presidential campaign is ratified by members, MoveOn.org will set up offices and staff in the early presidential states of Iowa and New Hampshire, recruit volunteers and small-dollar donors.

The campaign was first reported by The New York Times.

KEN THOMAS, Associated Press