Warren receives endorsement from Illinois congresswoman ahead of Chicago rally

Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) nabbed the endorsement of Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a congresswoman who represents part of Chicago’s North Side and some of its northern suburbs ahead of the senator’s rally in the city Saturday. 

Schakowsky said she first got to know Warren when the senator came up with the idea for creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to a statement from the Warren campaign obtained by The Hill. 

“But she didn’t just come up with the idea…She turned it into reality,” the Illinois lawmaker said. “She convinced newly elected President Barack Obama to embrace it. She helped organize a public groundswell of voters to support it. She led the battle to convince Congress to pass it. Then she was asked by President Obama to set it up and staff it.”

Schakowsky also underscored the candidate’s commitment to social and economic justice. 

“She converted her passion for social and economic justice into fundamental changes in the structure of our economy — into concrete reality. Think what she will do as President of the United States,” Schakowsky added. 

In the statement, Warren praised Schakowsky as “a relentless fighter for working families.”

“I’m deeply grateful to have her support in this fight,” she said. 

Schakowsky is the first Democratic congressperson from Illinois to endorse a presidential candidate, according to The Chicago Tribune.