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BOSTON (AP) - U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren pledged Wednesday to serve out her full six-year term and not run for president in 2016.
Warren has repeatedly denied she's interested in campaigning for the White House, but liberal Democratic activists have continued to speculate about a possible Warren presidential bid.
Speaking to reporters in Boston after a meeting with the city's Mayor-elect Martin Walsh, Warren vowed to serve out the remainder of her term. She's currently in her first year.
"I am not running for president. I am working as hard as I can to be the best possible senator that I can be and to fight for the things that I promised during my campaign that I would fight for," Warren said.
Warren, who defeated former Republican Sen. Scott Brown last year in one of the nation's most closely-watched and expensive contests, said those issues include holding banks and Wall Street accountable and helping rebuild the nation's middle class.
As part of that effort, Warren said earlier Wednesday that she'd sent a letter to the CEOs of the country's six largest financial institutions, urging they voluntarily disclose contributions to think tanks.
Warren also pointed to the minimum wage as one of the economic issues she's working on. Warren is the lead petitioner on a proposed 2014 ballot question in Massachusetts that would raise the state's minimum wage from $8 to $11 over three years, and tie future increases to the rate of inflation.
Warren said the minimum wage should be raised across the country.
"Families who work full-time should not live in poverty. That's something I ought to be for, Democrats are arguing for, and frankly most people in the United States support," she said. "This is not about ideology. This is about concrete ways to help strengthen America's working families."
It's that kind of rhetoric that has made Warren a hero among the Democratic Party's liberal activists and has led some to call for her to run for president. They have also pointed her ability to raise huge sums in political donations, as she did during last year's campaign.
Asked if she considered herself a leader of the liberal wing of her party, Warren said the discussion shouldn't be about her, but about the changes the country needs to make.
Warren also had sharp words for GOP leaders in the House, faulting them for refusing to work across the political aisle to pass bills.
"Is there a problem in Washington? You bet there is. But that's because the Republicans have decided to govern by making sure nothing happens," she said.
Warren said that during her meeting with Walsh, who will replace long time Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, she promised to help the federal government be a good partner for the city.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
