'You gotta take care of yourself first': Elizabeth Warren shares emotional moment with young supporter

Kim Norvell | The Des Moines Register

MARION, Iowa — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren shared an emotional moment with a young Iowa supporter at a town hall Sunday when the Democratic presidential candidate opened up about her divorce.

The 17-year-old from Cedar Rapids asked Warren if there was ever a time in her life when someone didn't accept her, "and how you dealt with that?"

After a long pause and with tears in her eyes, the senator from Massachusetts said "yeah," before telling the story of the divorce from her first husband, Jim Warren, in 1980.

"My mother and I had very different views of how to build a future. She wanted me to marry well and I really tried and it just didn’t work out," Warren said. "And there came a day when I had to call her and say, ‘This is over. I can’t make it work.’ And, uh, I heard the disappointment in her voice. I knew how she felt about it."

"But I also know it was the right thing to do. And sometimes you just gotta do what's right inside and hope that maybe the rest of the world will come around to it," she said. "And maybe they will and maybe they won't. But the truth is, you gotta take care of yourself first and do this."

The senator's Marion town hall was different than many of her events. Instead of a 45-minute stump speech, Warren spoke for fewer than nine minutes and then took questions. She answered 12; at a typical campaign event she answers three.

I was asked at a town hall “if there was ever a time in your life where somebody you really looked up to maybe didn’t accept you as much?” Here’s my answer: pic.twitter.com/ariYPwvWQr — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) December 2, 2019

Warren was still able to speak of her policy positions on things like "Medicare for All," immigration, gun reform, climate change and fighting corruption, all while giving a personal spin on several answers.

According to ABC News, the Iowan decided to ask Warren a more personal question after she had tough conversations with her family at Thanksgiving. The 17-year-old told the news station she is planning to caucus for Warren.

The two, both crying, embraced after Warren's answer.

Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259.