Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring, born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and academic, currently serving as the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts since 2013. Warren was formerly a professor of law and taught at the University of Texas School of Law, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and most recently at Harvard Law School. A prominent scholar specializing in bankruptcy law, Warren was among the most cited law professors in the field of commercial law before she began her political career. Warren is an active consumer protection advocate whose efforts led to the conception and establishment of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She has written a number of academic and popular works and is a frequent subject of media interviews regarding the American economy and personal finance. Following the 2008 financial crisis, Warren served as chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel, which was created to oversee the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). She later served as Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under President Barack Obama. During the late 2000s, publications such as The National Law Journal and Time 100 recognized her as an increasingly influential public policy figure. In September 2011, Warren announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, challenging Republican incumbent Scott Brown. She won the general election on November 6, 2012, becoming the first female Senator from Massachusetts. She was assigned to the Senate Special Committee on Aging; the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Warren is a leading figure in the Democratic Party and is popular among American progressives. Although she repeatedly stated that she was not running for the presidency, Warren was frequently mentioned by political pundits as a strong potential candidate in the 2016 presidential election. Warren remained neutral during the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries; she endorsed presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton only after all fifty states had voted.