By Rebecca Rottenberg

Age 17, Culver City High School

Kids Scoop Reporter

A fellow Culver City High School student Sarah Hager and I had the opportunity to attend a rally for Elizabeth Warren in Los Angeles. Held in the spacious halls of the Shrine Auditorium, the RSVPs were estimated at nine thousand, with countless more wandering in to catch the spectacle. The feeling in the room was energized yet intimate, with Warren's own grandson going up to the stage to announce raffle winners. Thanks to Kid Scoop Media, Sarah and I were given special passes and watched the event unfold from the press area.

Warren's supporters were fired up, especially about her reputation as a policy wonk. "Anti-corruption is something that matters to me a lot," remarked a supporter waiting for Warren to speak, "and she has the most robust plan I've seen. She has a lot of plans for other stuff too." This branding has enabled Warren to carve herself a niche in a field overflowing with Democratic candidates looking to oust President Trump in 2020. Accordingly, her online store boasts T-shirts bearing the slogan "Warren Has a Plan for That."

Instead of introducing new policies as she has in some town halls, Warren doubled down on signature plans such as the 2% wealth tax and campaign finance reform, connecting her zeal for sweeping economic change to her poignant stump speech on her own family's past financial struggles. She also answered audience questions on topics ranging from LGBTQ+ issues to the Supreme Court, responding "You bet!" to a question on whether she would consider nominating Merrick Garland. As one supporter put it, "Yeah, I pretty much like everything she has to say."