Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton talks with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., after taking part in a forum sponsored by the Center for American Progress, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014 in Washington. Democrats are trying to persuade women to vote in the fall midterm elections as they work to keep their Senate majority. (AP Photo/Molly Riley)
Hillary Clinton’s street cred with liberal wing of the Democratic party in Connecticut is about to get a shot in the arm, courtesy of Rosa DeLauro.
The far left elderstateswoman of the state’s congressional delegation has endorsed Clinton for president, tamping down speculation that a DeLauro could be wooed by a more liberal alternative to the former secretary of state and former first lady.
DeLauro issued the following statement to Hearst Connecticut Media about where her allegiances lie for 2016:
“America needs a President who understands the economic challenges facing working families across the nation. Hillary Clinton is the exact right person to tackle these critical matters. She has spent her professional life fighting for families and children. She is a champion for early childhood education; access to paid family and medical leave; a higher minimum wage and affordable, universal health care, to name just a few areas. I am proud to stand beside her and strongly support her candidacy to be our next president.”
DeLauro’s embrace of Clinton could only further dissuade U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a favorite of many progressives for her crusade against big banks and the practices of the financial services industry, from jumping into the race.
Warren maintains that she isn’t running for president, but that didn’t stop the grassroots group MoveOn.org from calling for her to run on Sunday within hours of Clinton’s debut as a candidate. One of Warren’s former speechwriters and campaign consultants, Marla Romash, is a longtime confidante of DeLauro and a former press aide to Chris Dodd and Al Gore.