EMILY’s List Uses Elizabeth Warren to Boost Katherine Clark

A mailer picturing the two women together, despite the fact that Warren isn't endorsing in the race, has raised some eyebrows.

Women Vote!, a political action committee arm of EMILY’s List, has done several mailings in support of state senator Katherine Clark, who the group has endorsed in this coming Tuesday’s Congressional primary to replace Ed Markey. The new one, which arrived in homes across the district today, is raising some hackles.

That’s because, as you can see below, it sure as hell looks like an endorsement from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren—who is not, in fact, supporting any of the Democratic candidates in the race.

I’ve seen candidates get in a little hot water just for including a photo that happens to have another, non-endorsing politician in it. Many people who receive the mailing will assume that the politician pictured has authorized its use, which in turn suggests an endorsement.

And those instances have not been anything close to this.

“We’re frankly stunned to see these kind of tactics in the final days of the campaign,” Eric Hyers, campaign manager for Karen Spilka, said in a statement.

Scott Ferson, consultant for Will Brownsberger, quipped: “Have you seen our mail piece with Will between Mother Teresa and Gandhi?”

To be fair, both Warren and Clark are EMILY’s List endorsees, so I suppose the PAC is just boasting about two of their favorite Massachusetts women. And it should be noted that Clark’s campaign itself had nothing to do with this—in fact, by law it cannot have anything to do with it. Other campaigns and candidates have tried to evoke Warren’s name in various ways, too, since it’s like gold among likely Democratic primary voters in the Boston suburbs. But, well, judge for yourself:

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