Warren gets asked about Native American identification at town hall

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) apologized for the confusion caused by her previous self-identification as a Native American when asked about it by a participant at a candidate forum in New Hampshire.

The response came after Warren was asked by a participant who said she is the mother of 3-year-old black twins. The voter then asked how the 2020 presidential candidate could “overcome the bridge with voters” like her who had concerns about the senator’s action when Warren was a university professor.

{mosads} Warren responded that she was told about her family heritage by her parents and cited a Boston Globe investigation from last year that found that her ethnicity played no factor in advancing her academic career. 

“Like most people, my brothers and I learned about who we are from our mom and our dad. My family’s very important to me, and based on that, sometimes, decades ago, I identified that way. But nothing about the way I identified ever had anything to do with my academic career,” Warren said.

“Even so, I shouldn’t have done it. I am not a person of color. I am not a citizen of a tribe, and I’ve apologized for any confusion over tribal sovereignty, tribal citizenship and any harm caused by that,” she continued. 

Warren has previously apologized for the confusion caused when she identified herself as a as Native American. The 2020 candidate took a blood test last year that demonstrated she was 1/64 and 1/1028 Native American.

Her campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment from The Hill.