Dear Commons Community,

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) rallied a congregation of progressive supporters in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday night, in a rousing appearance designed to put pressure on the state’s moderate Democrats, including Governor Andrew Cuomo.

“I feel the spirit in the room tonight,” Warren told the crowd of several hundred activists, who rose from their church pews to give her a long, loud standing ovation as she took to the podium inside Saint Peter’s Church. “I love being in this room. I love being part of a movement, because it is a movement that will make a difference.”

Warren was making her first public appearance in New York City since she was elected to the Senate.

As reported in The Huffington Post:

“…[Warren] inserted her voice into state debates over campaign finance reform, universal preschool and income inequality. She praised policy proposals backed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and newly elected New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio — and indirectly referenced tensions between two of the state’s highest-profile Democrats.

In his State of the State address earlier this month, Cuomo said he would push for campaign finance reform again, after it stalled in the state legislature last year. Warren, a favorite of Democratic Party reformers, added some pressure of her own.

“Your governor has said, ‘Let’s attack money in politics head-on. Let’s go for campaign finance reform,’” Warren said. “All I can say is go, go, go, GO!”

The senator also spoke positively about de Blasio’s proposal to raise taxes on city residents who earn $500,000 a year or more in order to fund a universal prekindergarten program.

“The mayor is saying we’re going to have universal preschool. Here. In New York. Yes!” Warren said.

“But the reality is, you gotta pay for it,” she added. “And to pay for it, that meant a little less money in the pockets of those who have outsize influence. The mayor should be commended because he put it straight on the table and said, ‘This is about our values. This is about how we build our future.’”

It is absolutely about values and not just the politics of getting re-elected.

Tony