Warren win lacks ballot-topping punch
GOP gov bests Dem’s vote tally
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren “underperformed,” political pundits say, as election results are showing she had fewer votes than Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.
“There’s no question that Elizabeth Warren’s victory was decisive, but it’s embarrassing to earn less votes than a Republican governor in the bluest state in the nation,” GOP consultant Ryan Williams said.
Approximately 1.6 million people voted for Warren and 1.7 million people voted for Baker, according to the Associated Press. However, local election officials are required to wait at least 10 days to certify their results.
“As one of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party’s biggest stars, she should have topped the ballot in her home state, especially given it’s a blue state. She’s not even the most popular politician in her own state,” Williams said.
The issue will likely be used as a talking point by her opposition to raise questions about her viability in a general election, according to Williams.
Conversely, Democratic consultant Scott Ferson found it “impressive” that Warren won 60 percent of the vote.
“I think her strategy was part of her calculus for looking at 2020 and she successfully navigated it,” Ferson said. “I think Sen. Warren did what she needs to do, it was not close. She crushed her opponent. I don’t think anyone is going to focus on the actual number of votes comparatively.”
GOP political consultant Eric Fehrnstrom, however, said that the numbers pose a problem for Warren if she decides to run for the White House in 2020.
“The Republican governor got more votes in a blue state than she did. What that signals is that she is not a dominating political force in her own backyard,” Fehrnstrom said. “These results might raise a real question in the minds of Democrats about whether or not Warren could do as well, especially in some of the mustwin states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.”
Fehrnstrom added that the continuing controversy over her Native American heritage, along with this underperformance, creates a “bad year,” for Warren.
“You can almost sense the panic this year in her camp over this issue,” Fehrnstrom said.
Fehrnstrom pointed to Warren’s speech to the National Congress of American Indians in February, releasing personnel files in September and then offering up her DNA test results last month.
“The bottom line is that all the information that Americans have received about Warren this year revolves around the Native American controversy and that has not been a positive for her.” Fehrnstrom said. “It’s like a piece of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of her shoe, she just can’t shake it.”