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Elizabeth Warren to campaign for Pa. Senate candidate Katie McGinty

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren will campaign for Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Katie McGinty next week, bringing one of Democrats' biggest national names and a favorite of the left to Philadelphia as the race enters its final two months.

Warren, of Massachusetts, will stump with McGinty on Sept. 9 at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, lending her star power to a race that could be critical to determining control of the Senate.

National Democrats have made McGinty's race against Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) a top priority, and are pouring money -- and now big name support -- into the contest. McGinty earlier this week got a boost from another national figure, Bernie Sanders, who sent a fund-raising request urging support for her and three other top Democratic Senate contenders.

McGinty's camp linked Warren's populist message and calls for reining in big banks with the candidate's focus on the middle class and attacks on Toomey as a Wall Street ally who favors big business.

"At the end of the day, this election is about whether Pennsylvania is going to have a senator who will fight for them or a senator who's fighting for corporate profits and right-wing economic policies," said McGinty spokesman Sean Coit. "Senator Warren has spent her entire career fighting for working families, and Katie's going to stand side by side with her in the Senate."

Toomey's camp fired back that "It's no surprise that Katie McGinty is wrapping herself around every far left politician in America, because that's who she is ... McGinty might well be the most pro-tax increase liberal in America."

Recent polls have shown McGinty, former chief of staff for Gov. Wolf, pulling ahead of Toomey as the race enters the homestretch, though the contest remains close enough for either candidate to still grab hold.

McGinty's biggest challenge so far has been spreading her name -- polls show many voters still don't know who she is -- a problem that star backing and attention may help address.

Top Pennsylvania Democrats, including Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, also plan to rally with McGinty Tuesday in Philadelphia at her formal fall campaign kick-off. In the Democratic primary McGinty had the help of campaign visits by Vice President Biden and a high-profile endorsement from President Obama.

You can follow Tamari on Twitter or email him at jtamari@phillynews.com.