Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, said she identified herself as Native American when she worked at two Ivy League law schools.

Warren, who grew up in Oklahoma, says her family has Cherokee and Delaware ancestry. She lacks definitive proof of her heritage and has faced criticism from Republican rival Scott Brown for claiming "minority" status.

“My Native American heritage is part of who I am, I’m proud of it and I have been open about it," Warren's campaign said in a statement acknowledging she told Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania that she was Native American.

Polls show a tight race between Warren and Brown, the incumbent.

Get the Story:
Warren says she told schools of heritage (The Boston Globe 5/31)
Governor Throws Weight Behind Senate Candidate (The New York Times 5/31)
Cherokees launch website targeting Elizabeth Warren over Native American heritage claims (MassLive 5/30)

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