Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) has changed her media strategy amid low poll numbers in her home state by making herself more available to the press in Massachusetts.
Warren's "creative media-dodging habits are a running joke among her home-state press corps," Politico reported over the weekend. "Whenever the senator makes a public appearance, Massachusetts reporters know to keep one eye fixed on the exit doors."
Last week, however, the Massachusetts Democrat held three open-to-media events in her home state. Each event was followed by lengthy huddles with reporters.
Democratic strategist Scott Ferson wondered to Politico why Warren has generally avoided dealing with reporters.
"I always wondered why she wasn't more accommodating to the press. You can be combative, it can be confrontational, but it's always a long-term much better strategy to engage with the press," he said.
Terry MacCormack, the Massachusetts Republican Party's communication director, does not find Warren's new strategy surprising.
"Sen. Warren is scrambling to rehab her toxic image here at home," MacCormack said.
A poll conducted in mid-January revealed that 46 percent of Massachusetts voters are ready to vote Warren out of office. Thirty-seven percent of poll respondents also said they disapprove of Warren.
The senator may be working to gain a more positive image in the press as she gears up for her 2018 reelection campaign.
Warren told Politico last week that it "it's fun to get out" and speak to the media.
"When you're down in Washington all the time, it's good to feel like you're back home and get a chance to talk to people. I've missed it," she said.