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dates, in part because as a newer arrival on the political stage she is free of some of the political albatrosses carried by other top Democrats like President Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.
• In March, Warren attended a fundraising reception and dinner in Cleveland for Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown. Days later she attended a student rally and fundraiser for Minnesota Sen. Al Franken in Minneapolis. Next were fundraisers in May for Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Washington Sen. Patty Murray.
• Now, Warren is continuing her fundraising efforts, with a planned Monday event with West Virginia Democratic Senate hopeful Natalie Tennant. Tennant, West Virginia's secretary of state, is vying with U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito for the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller. Capito is favored and holds a hefty cash advantage.
• Capito's campaign has also been quick to target Warren, calling her "one of the staunchest opponents of coal and West Virginia's way of life."
• Warren has conceded that she and Tennant -- who, like Grimes, has criticized Obama's plans to limit carbon emissions from the coal industry -- don't agree on everything, but can come together on economic issues facing struggling families.
• Later in the week, Warren is scheduled to attend a fundraiser with Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Gary Peters who is facing off against Republican Terri Lynn Land. Peters and Land are competing to replace Democratic Sen. Carl Levin, who's also retiring.
• Warren has also sent out fundraising emails to her supporters on behalf of Democratic Senate candidates in Georgia (Michelle Nunn), South Dakota (Rick Weiland) and Iowa (Bruce Braley).
• Warren's rising political star in the Democratic Party has garnered the attention of Hillary Clinton, in part because Warren has been seen by some as a possible alternative candidate for president in two years, even though Clinton has yet to announce and Warren has repeatedly said she's not interested in running in 2016.
• Warren has been flexing her fundraising prowess in the party by using her political action committee -- the PAC for a Level Playing Field. The leadership PAC has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars which she's used to support Democratic Senate candidates and party committees including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
• Julian Zelizer, a political history professor at Princeton University, said Warren is crafting a national political profile while also testing whether a populist economic message can win broad support across the party.
• "Part of this is for her to build her stature, but she is also a believer," Zelizer said. "She could stumble but ... she's still new and she doesn't have the baggage of

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