Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) name is being floated as a potential presidential nominee for the Democratic Party in the 2020 election.
Democrats are predicting that as many as 30 candidates could compete for the nomination, and Klobuchar’s name is consistently listed among them. The Minnesota Democrat would likely struggle in national name recognition, but enjoys an impressive 60 percent approval rating in her home state.
Klobuchar turned heads during the recent nomination process of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when she questioned the nominee about his past experiences with alcohol. That, combined with her relatively calm composure, has earned her a spot on most analysts’ rankings.
CNN’s Chris Cilizza and Harry Enten have Klobuchar at number six on their top 10 list, just behind Senate colleagues such as Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders (D-VT).
“Her questioning of Kavanaugh’s drinking past became a huge moment—and one in which Klobuchar shone. If you are looking for a dark horse, you could do worse than Klobuchar,” the two write.
In FiveThirtyEight’s most recent mock “Democratic draft,” Klobuchar was picked tenth among the outlet’s staff.
“Klobuchar is like as far as you can be from Trump, personality-wise. She’s the anti-Avenatti,” Nate Silver commented, though others pointed out that “there are already a number of better-known women who will run.”
On the topic of a potential Klobuchar run, University of Minnesota professor Lawrence Jacobs described her in an interview with The Washington Post as “one of the most successful politicians to come out of the state since Walter Mondale and Hubert H. Humphrey.”
“She owns the state politically,” he said. “And it’s not force of personality; it’s channeling the concerns of Minnesota.”
Klobuchar is currently running for a third term, and leads her Republican opponent in Minnesota 50 percent to 41 percent, according to the latest polls.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
