(WBUR) - In the official launch of her re-election campaign for the U.S. Senate, Democrat Elizabeth Warren was greeted by supporters along with hecklers and angry community activists.
Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley joined 350 people, who filled Hibernian Hall in Roxbury.
But the event didn't go as planned.
Most in the crowd were supportive of Warren, 73, who's running for a third term. But she encountered four hecklers, who were expelled from the event.
"You're a phony," said one of them, who was led out of the hall.
Then, Aziza Robinson-Goodnight, a pro-reparations activist, repeatedly interrupted Warren.
"You have a job to do right now," said Robinson-Goodnight, insisting that Warren advocate for federal reparations. "We don't want to hear the keep-us-poor Democratic rhetoric."
Warren said while she "appreciated the comments," she was focused on leading a federal partnership to help communities like Roxbury. But when Robinson-Goodnight continued to interrupt to press her point, Pressley came to Warren's defense.
"I [have] to get you to understand who we're dealing with in Washington," an exasperated Pressley said to Robinson-Goodnight. "I have colleagues who debate for two hours if they can bring their guns to committee hearings."
Pressley argued that with Republicans in charge of the House and a razor thin Democratic majority in the Senate, Democrats like her and Warren are limited by what they can accomplish in Washington right now.
Earlier in the evening, Warren touted her successful efforts to pass a 15% minimum corporate tax and cancel student debt for millions of Americans, a program which remains tied up in the courts.
"Even against the rich and the powerful, even against the damn Republicans we can sometimes make change," Warren said. "And by god that's why I want to go back to Washington."
By Anthony Brooks
April 13, 2023
