Could Warren Be Hillary Clinton's 'Nightmare' Come True In 2016?
BOSTON (CBS) --- Far away perhaps, but not far-fetched.
As a cover story in the latest edition of The New Republic Magazine notes, Senator Elizabeth Warren has become the darling of the Democratic left.
While she says she's not running for president in 2016, the buzz around her is enough to keep early frontrunner Hillary Clinton, awake at night.
Clinton has seen this movie before. She was favored to win her party's nomination in 2008 but outflanked by a charismatic rookie senator with better outsider branding. That rookie turned out to be the next president.
Now, she's once again the early favorite of the party establishment.
But here in Red Sox country, we know what can happen to preseason predictions.
But could Warren become as the Republic puts it, 'Hillary's Nightmare' come true?
Warren couldn't be reached for comment Monday, but while she has repeatedly denied any interest in running, she scores well in polls and proved her fundraising ability by raising $43 million in last year's senate race.
And her confrontations with the D.C. establishment have become a populist YouTube sensation.
Like at a Banking Committee hearing on illegal foreclosures in April when things got testy.
According to the Wall Street Journal, while Clinton knows more about policy than anyone in the party, Warren does have emotional appeal.
"The danger for Clinton is if Warren is able to persuade Democrats that cracking down on Wall Street reform is the key to helping the middle class or -- perhaps more plausibly -- opposing inequality. On a policy level, that's a harder case to make. But on an emotional, who's-on-your-side level, it might work," they write.
In Harvard Square, voters said they'd relish a Warren run.
"I think she's a great candidate, I think she would give Hillary Clinton a run for her money," one person said.
Another was hopeful about what Warren would do without ties to Wall Street.
"She would be able to do so without money from Wall Street and I think that's probably for the better, and it would be nice to hear from somebody who doesn't have those ties," the person said.
