Warren joins Dem leadership

Senate Democratic leaders have decided to give Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) a new job in the Democratic leadership to help rev up the party’s base.

Warren will work with the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee to reach out to liberal groups on Democratic policies.

{mosads}“Sen. Warren will be a liaison to the liberal groups in our base to ensure that they have a voice in leadership meetings and discussions,” said a source familiar with Warren’s promotion.

The Massachusetts Democrat’s special assignment will likely focus on policy development instead of political tactics and messaging, a job that Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) have honchoed in recent years.

Warren’s title will be strategic policy adviser to the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, the source said.

The move will likely please liberal members of the Democratic caucus, but Reid still has to contend with criticism from centrists.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) told reporters before Thursday’s leadership elections that she would not support Reid for minority leader in the 114th Congress.

Jim Dean, the chairman of liberal advocacy group Democracy for America, applauded Warren’s new role in the leadership.
 
“Since she was elected, Elizabeth Warren has been the voice for the vast majority of Democrats across the country who believe that our party needs to be unyielding in its fight against income inequality,” he said.  
 
“With this smart move, her fellow senators are acknowledging that Senator Warren isn’t just a liaison to a handful of Democratic activists, but the essential leader of the very heart of our party.”