After only six weeks as a candidate, Elizabeth Warren has all but cinched the Democratic nomination in the Massachusetts race against Scott Brown. The big reason, writes Steve Kornacki at Salon: She's got "a clear populist message aimed at economically anxious middle class voters—and she’s startlingly effective at delivering it." (See this viral video as proof.) Given that she spent much of her career battling for Wall Street reforms, her campaign is shaping up to be a "perfect test of the power of the Occupy Wall Street message,' writes Kornacki.
Indeed, her quote that "I created much of the intellectual foundation for what they do" was immediately pounced upon by Republicans. It now looks like both she and the GOP "seem prepared to let the race turn on OWS." This is no gimme for Democrats, even if it is blue Massachusetts. "It’s just too soon to say whether the national GOP’s effort to scare swing voters away from anyone tied to OWS will succeed," writes Kornacki, but it is safe to say that Brown looks "far, far more vulnerable" than he did a few months ago. Read the full column here. (More Elizabeth Warren stories.)