Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, defended her claims of Indian ancestry in what has been called a very tense debate with incumbent Scott Brown.

Warren, who grew up in Oklahoma, has claimed Cherokee and Delaware ancestry from her mother. However, she has not provided any documentation despite criticism from Brown over the past few months.

“When I was growing up, these were the stories I knew about my heritage,” Warren replied after Brown said: “She checked the box claiming she was a Native American, and clearly she’s not."

Polls show an extremely close race between Warren and Sen. Brown.

Get the Story:
In crucial first debate, Scott Brown challenges Warren’s Native American heritage claim (The Boston Globe 9/20)
Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren use face-to-face debate to amplify themes from Senate trail (The Boston Globe 9/20)
In first debate, Scott Brown hits Elizabeth Warren on Cherokee claim (Politico 9/21)
Scott Brown charges out of gate, slams Liz Warren on ‘truthfulness’ (The Boston Herald 9/21)
Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown spar over taxes, character in their first Senate race debate (The Washington Post 9/21)
Brown and Warren Spar in Tense Televised Debate Over Massachusetts Senate Seat (The New York Times 9/21)

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