Liberals have taken control of the Democratic Party and won out over efforts to move toward the political center, Sen. Elizabeth Warren has declared, The New York Times reported.
Speaking to the Netroots Nation grass-roots conference in Atlanta, the Massachusetts senator said that "We are not the gate-crashers of today's Democratic Party. We are not a wing of today's Democratic Party. We are the heart and soul of today's Democratic Party."
Although Warren ridiculed those in the party who want to move towards the center, she also implored the crowd not to push others out of the movement.
In her speech Warren outlined her vision for the party's future, including a push for Medicare for everyone, debt-free college and universal pre-kindergarten, CNN reported.
She also vowed that Democrats would defend undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children against the policies of President Donald Trump, adding that "we're never, ever going to build your stupid wall."
In the speech, Warren also did not shy away from the idea of running for the presidency in 2020.
"We're going to fight to put more women in positions of power," she said, "from committee rooms to boardrooms to that really nice oval-shaped room at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."
However, as the crowd chanted "Warren 2020" the senator continued on without directly addressing the chants.
Warren's speech came at a critical crossroads for the Democratic Party. Its base is energized by the fight against Trump, and received a boost as the GOP has so far failed to repeal or replace Obamacare.
But the party is also without a national leader, and there is no clear focus on a policy agenda.
While Warren pushes for the progressive branch, some leading Democrats recently backed the launch of a group called "New Democracy," which seeks the political center by moving Democrats toward positions that can win over moderates, independents and disaffected Republicans.