Recent days have seen a lot of U. S. Senate campaign activity in the Merrimack Valley with multiple visits by both Democratic nominee Elizabeth Warren and GOP incumbent Scott Brown. The race is tight but it appears to be trending Warren.

Last week Warren spoke with a group of women small business owners and financial leaders in Lowell where she was enthusiastically endorsed by one of her fellow “New Sheriffs on Wall Street” – former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair. Bair – a Republican and a Bush-appointee – spoke of Warren in glowing term as a person who would come to Washington with lots of credibility of a bipartisan nature… “She will govern. She understands the issues. She will work with both parties, and she’ll get things done.”

Yesterday Warren criss-crossed the area stopping in Methuen at Mann’s orchard – meeting over 200 people – where many local and area officials including Methuen Mayor Steve Zanni, State Representative Linda Dean-Campbell, former Mayor Bill Manzi and North Andover Town Moderator Mark DiSalvo supported her candidacy. An earlier stop in Tewksbury brought her to the Central Fire Station where she toured the facility and pledged her help with needed upgrades. She was greeted by many local firefighters whose statewide and national union stands behind her candidacy. Joined by Congresswoman Niki Tsongas – the first elected official to endorse her over a year ago at  a canalside press conference in Lowell – Elizabeth Warren seemed relaxed but focussed and determined as she talked with many members of the Tewksbury Democratic Town Committee and the media.

Senator Brown was in Lowell over the weekend and in the Andover area yesterday looking to hold on to the communities that supported him in 2010. With two weeks to go until November 6th – I expect we’ll see more of these candidates as they, pundits and pollsters see the towns of the Merrimack Valley as a bellweather for their success.