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Brandeis University's Community Newspaper — Waltham, Mass.

Students actively campaign before Senate election

Published: November 2, 2012
Section: News


On Tuesday, Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Scott Brown (R-MA) will compete for the title of U.S. Senator for the State of Massachusetts. Warren and Brown have been in fierce competition for months, campaigning over the radio, on television commercials and encouraging the support of Brandeis, among other colleges and universities.

Brown is the first Republican to be elected to the Massachusetts Senate since 1972. He aims to maintain a bipartisan and independent appeal and is motivated to work with both Democrats and Republicans to create jobs and put Americans back to work. Brown has served in the Army National Guard and was voted “America’s Sexiest Man” by Cosmopolitan in 1982.

Warren, a Harvard Law School professor of nearly 20 years, specializes in American bankruptcy law and has served as the Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury under President Obama. According to Time Magazine, Warren is “the new sheriff of Wall Street” and has twice been voted one of Time’s 100 most influential people in America.

Both Brown and Warren have made strong campaigning efforts in Massachusetts cities, including Waltham.

“There is a strong grassroots effort in Waltham driving Elizabeth’s campaign. Hundreds of residents have signed up to volunteer and we have a local field office and organizer for the city,” Warren’s Press Secretary, Alethea Harney said. “Our grassroots volunteers in Waltham are focused on having one-on-one conversations with voters at phone banks and door-to-door canvasses, talking to their neighbors about how Elizabeth stands with working families and small businesses.”

Brown’s press secretary did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Brandeis, a traditionally liberal school, has shown strong support of Warren’s campaign, volunteering at her Waltham campaign office, encouraging other students and Waltham residents to register to vote on Nov. 6.

“At Brandeis University, students have been canvassing, registering voters and spreading the word about why Elizabeth is the best choice for young people in this election,” Harney said.

Brandeis clubs such as the Brandeis Democrats (’Deis Dems) and the Brandeis Libertarian-Conservative Union (BLCU) have demonstrated their support for Warren and Brown respectively over the past few months.

’Deis Dems has demonstrated its support for Warren by working closely with Gabe Frumkin, Warren’s Waltham-area field organizer, and by supporting Warren at her Sept. 8 kick-off rally in the Waltham Common to celebrate the Democratic Party’s Day of Action.

Similarly, BLCU has demonstrated its support for Brown’s reelection by tabling outside the Shapiro Campus Center and encouraging other Brandeis students to volunteer for Brown’s campaign in his Waltham field office and in his Boston headquarters.

Like Warren, Brown places a strong emphasis on improving American infrastructure by helping Americans find work and by helping students afford their education. Brown prides himself on supporting funding for Planned Parenthood, supporting the right for gay men and women to serve openly in the military and has made supporting Israel as an ally one of his top-priority foreign policy issues.