Sen. Warren Disavows PAC Urging Run For President

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Friday issued a "formal disavowal" of a new political organization urging her to run for president in 2016.

In a letter to the Federal Election Commission, lawyers for the first-term Massachusetts Democrat said Warren "has not, and does not, explicitly or implicitly, authorize, endorse, or otherwise approve" of the Ready For Warren PAC.

The Chicago-based committee, which filed organization papers with the Federal Election Commission earlier this month, is analogous to the Ready for Hillary PAC that sparked a movement that's been generating interest in a 2016 presidential bid by Hillary Rodham Clinton for nearly two years.

That group has raised and spent millions of dollars to support a Clinton candidacy, although she has not said whether she intends to run.

Warren's attorneys said the letter "serves as a formal disavowal" of Ready for Warren, both its formation and activities.

They note that Warren, who was elected in 2012, has said repeatedly she's not running for president. The lawyers also say Warren encourages the group to focus its "attention and energy" on maintaining Democratic Party control of the U.S. Senate.

Erica Sagrans, treasurer for Ready For Warren, said the group has made it clear since it launched in July that the senator is not associated with it. "I don't think there's anything new in this letter, and we're continuing with our campaign to draft Elizabeth Warren to run for president in 2016 because we believe she's the best person for the job," she said in an email.

Sagrans, whose resume includes stints working for President Barack Obama's campaign, the Democratic National Committee and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, said Ready for Warren organizers agree that maintaining Democratic control of the Senate is the immediate priority as the 2014 midterm elections near.

She said the group is organizing house parties starting next week where volunteers will discuss how they can support Democratic candidates in 2014 and "elevate Senator Warren's agenda."