Democratic Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar became the latest politician to enter the crowded 2020 presidential race on Sunday, as she announced her candidacy at a snowy event in Minneapolis.
“On an island in the middle of the mighty Mississippi, in our nation’s heartland, at a time when we must heal the heart of our democracy and renew our commitment to the common good,” Klobuchar told the crowd, according to CNN, “I stand before you as the granddaughter of an iron ore miner, the daughter of a teacher and a newspaperman, the first woman elected to the United States Senate from the State of Minnesota, to announce my candidacy for President of the United States.”
Addressing supporters who came out for her announcement at Boom Park, a river island in Minneapolis, Klobuchar spoke of the fractured sense of community across the U.S., as well as the “petty and vicious nature of our politics.” The senator also touched on shutdowns and gridlocked and vowed that, as president, she would look people in the eye and tell the truth.
With her announcement, Klobuchar joined a number of other Democratic politicians who have already thrown their hats in the 2020 race, including (so far) Senator Cory Booker, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Representative Tulsi Gabbard, and Julián Castro, the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama.
Klobuchar’s announcement also comes shortly after reports of her alleged maltreatment of her staff emerged, including claims that she “regularly left employees in tears.” According to Axios, after her announcement on Sunday, Klobuchar told reporters, “Yes, I can be tough. And yes, I can push people. I know that. … I have, I’d say, high expectations for myself. I have high expectations for the people that work for me. But I have high expectations for this country.”
