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A Minnesota senator known for her folksy style —
“With my pork chop on a stick!”
— who’s not afraid of the cold —
“… beautiful snow storm,
and ready to vote”
— Senator Amy Klobuchar
is joining the race for
president of the United States.
So, who is she?
Klobuchar grew up in the Minneapolis suburbs,
the daughter of a schoolteacher
and a newspaper columnist.
She became a corporate lawyer
before transitioning to politics,
and was elected district attorney
for the state’s most populous county.
“We’ve gone after scam artists, child abusers, murderers.”
Klobuchar ran for the Senate in 2006 and won.
She has since earned a reputation as a worker bee.
Trevor Noah: “You have been ranked as first
on a list of all 100 senators
with the most bills that have been enacted into law.”
She’s also known for being a difficult boss
and has one of the highest staff turnover
rates in the Senate.
Klobuchar gained national attention
during the Kavanaugh hearings —
“Drinking is one thing, but the concern is about truthfulness”
— and even wound up being parodied on S.N.L.
“Did you ever drink too many beers?”
“You mean was I cool? Yeah.”
[laughter]
She isn’t a centrist, but she hasn’t embraced
some of the party’s most progressive ideas, either.
Some recent priorities?
Lowering the cost of prescription drugs,
addressing sexual harassment and protecting
online privacy.
“These companies have to do all they can
to protect the information of the people
that are part of their platforms.”
And President Trump?
Klobuchar says he hasn’t risen to the job.
“We need someone in the White House
that’s a hero for their time.”
So far she doesn’t seem to really be on his radar.
“Thank you, as well, to Senator Amy Klo-bu-char.”
And the polls?
Early numbers put her
near the bottom of the pack, for now.
But some Democrats hope Klobuchar's
Midwestern roots and track record of bipartisanship
will have broad appeal.
“Courage is whether or not you’re
willing to stand next to someone you don’t always
agree with for the betterment of this country.”