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Warren Releases Genetic Ancestry Results

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has released the results of a genetic ancestry test that indicates she has a long-ago Native American ancestor, the Boston Globe reports.

As the Globe notes, Warren's family lore said her great-great-great-grandmother, O.C. Sarah Smith, was at least partially Native American, and Warren identified as Native American in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She told the Globe last month that she did so as many of her family members were dying and she thought the family history was being lost.

President Donald Trump and others have mocked Warren for claiming Native American ancestry. Trump, for instance, said he would throw a DNA test at her during a debate if Warren ran for president.

Stanford University's Carlos Bustamante conducted this analysis of Warren's ancestry, according to the Globe. Bustamante found Warren largely has European ancestry, but he reports he also uncovered evidence of a Native American ancestor some six to 10 generations ago. The Globe notes that testing for Native American ancestry is difficult, as few Native Americans have contributed to genetic databases, due to past concerns of exploitation. Still, Bustamante tells the Globe, "[w]e are confident it is not an error."

The Globe adds that this move by Warren to undergo testing suggests she is seriously considering running for president.

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