While the US election is still over a year away, campaigning is in full swing in many parts of the country.

In the state of Massachusetts, one election promises to get plenty of national media attention.

Last week, noted consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren announced she would seek the office of United States Senator for the Democrats.

Warren, who is a professor at Harvard Law School, writes and speaks extensively on issues relating to consumer finance protection

She’s a strong advocate for protecting consumers against credit card companies, mortgage companies and student loan outfits who

“want to do business… through tricks and traps and fine print and fooling people.”

President Obama sought Warren’s advice in establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau this year. However, she was not nominated to head the new agency. Is the protection of consumers exclusively a liberal goal?

A video of Warren on her “Talking Tour” has gotten a lot of traction online. Her knowledge of serious issues and her ability to explain them to non-experts (in a simple, unpatronizing way) have appealed to some voters.

If she wins the Democratic primary, Warren will face incumbent Republican Senator Scott Brown, the total dreamboat who won the election to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat in January of 2010. Brown’s success in that election was in part due to the lackluster campaign of his opponent, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who the Democratic party figured was a shoo-in.

According to Public Policy Polling, Warren leads Sen. Scott Brown by two points–but, of course, it’s still very early.

Is Elizabeth Warren the candidate Massachusetts has been waiting for? Will her advocacy on behalf of the middle class win her their support? We’ve got a long campaign season ahead of us. The race between Warren and Brown is definitely one to watch.