Sen. Elizabeth Warren. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced on the final day of 2018 that she was forming an exploratory committee to look into running for president--and WBZ political commentator Jon Keller spoke with WBZ NewsRadio's Tina Gao about that announcement and what it means.
The exploratory committee, Keller said, is not a formal announcement of her candidacy. It is a technical step that allows a would-be candidate to raise and spend money--allowing Sen. Warren to test the political waters.
"The benefit of it is, it allows you to do it without reporting your donors," Keller said. "You still have to play by basic campaign rules--limits on how much individuals can give and so forth--but basically, you can do what amounts to the most important early poll."
Keller said this testing will allow Sen. Warren to answer some important questions.
"How much damage has been done to her standing by her reluctance to jump in or endorse back in 2016?" Keller said. "By the backlash over her recent DNA test about her personal family background? These are key questions she's gotta answer. Forming an exploratory committee will give her the vehicle she needs to do so."
Keller also spoke about Sen. Warren's left-leaning populist platform, her reputation in the Senate, and what her potential candidacy could mean for her work as a senator. Listen to the full interview below.
WBZ NewsRadio's Tina Gao (@TinaGaoOnAir) reports