Elizabeth Warren visits Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, highlights poverty, housing, small farms

One of the positive aspects of a competitive primary is seeing candidates campaign in a lot of states, not just the traditional “battle-grounds”.

Candidates for president don’t always go to MS, TN, or AL because they aren’t battleground states. But I’m running to be president of the entire United States. I’m planning to travel to every corner of this country—and I’ve got the best staff who will make it happen! pic.twitter.com/8J1finLQZO

It is significant that Senator Warren conducted a three-state tour visiting Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. It is rare for Democratic primary candidates to visit these areas. They are not prime stops on a fundraising tour as Dallas or Atlanta might be. Nor are they a rich source of pledged delegates in the primary. Together, the three states will send a mere 175 out of 4,532 delegates to the convention.

Senator Warren is doing this as part of a “50-state campaign strategy.” and says she is “running to be president of all the people". She was in MS, AL and TN partly to highlight an ambitious new housing bill she’s introduced. 

What can we do to make a real difference in Cleveland, MS where families can’t afford the skyrocketing costs of living expenses? We put more money into housing so everyone can have a safe and affordable place to live. pic.twitter.com/GhRTDKZB75

I volunteered remotely for the AL and MS senate campaigns in 2017/2018, the volunteers I worked with were all thrilled to see Elizabeth show up in their state and it’s been the talk among Democrats there for the week. 

Warren visited the Delta to explain what her housing bill could do for communities there. 

“In a democracy, we need a government that doesn’t just work for those who are already rich," the Massachusetts Democrat said in Greenville, ahead of a Jackson town hall Monday evening. "We need a government that says, ‘You’re rich? Good for you, but pitch just a little bit back in the kitty, so everybody else gets a chance.'"

Warren began a three-state Southern tour with a town hall in Memphis on Sunday night, speaking to about 500 people. The Mississippi leg of the trip started Monday morning in Cleveland, where she met with state Sen. Willie Simmons at the home of civil rights leader Amzie Moore, before discussing poverty and housing issues on a walk to Simmons' restaurant, "The Senator's Place." 

Warren recently rolled out a housing plan based on legislation she introduced in the Senate last year, the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act. It's the latest of several in-depth policy proposals she's authored, including a universal child care and early education plan she discussed in Memphis. — www.clarionledger.com/...

Trump is sure to offer up his usual dose of resentment, hate and farce leading up to the 2020 election. But Democrats can run on something better than a TV variety show, ideas that will make America work for everyone, as Warren explains here.

Last night, I told @chrislhayes: In this Democratic primary, we need to push our big, bold ideas forward. We can do this together. pic.twitter.com/nqKwLZwy3H

As she visits rural communities across several states, Senator Warren is also talking about her farms bill, which seeks to undo the unfair advantages our system bestows on large farms and multinational corporations.

For generations, America’s family farmers have passed down a tradition of hard work and independence. Today’s family farmers share those same core values, but the economics are more and more tenuous. Last year, farmers got less than 15 cents of every dollar that Americans spent on food — the lowest amount since the Department of Agriculture began tracking that figure in 1993.

Today a farmer can work hard, do everything right — even get great weather — and still not make it. It’s not because farmers today are any less resilient, enterprising, or committed than their parents and grandparents were. It’s because bad decisions in Washington have consistently favored the interests of multinational corporations and big business lobbyists over the interests of family farmers. — medium.com/...

Warren has also set an example on the campaign finance front and pledged to eschew calls to wealthy donors or host high-dollar fundraisers. 

Democrats have a chance to help end the influence of big money in politics in the 2020 primary. I’m walking the walk. pic.twitter.com/yIYLV3fR5o

— @subirgrewal | Cross-posted to TheProgressiveWing.com