WASHINGTON — Weeks after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s stunning defeat by President Donald Trump, media outlets and pundits across the country have speculated about who might be able to win back the White House for liberals in 2020.
One of the names floating in various political circles as a contender for the Democratic presidential ticket is Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who was first elected in 2006.
Klobuchar was listed as a potential replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia after his sudden passing in February 2016 by various media outlets. She was also listed as a potential candidate for Attorney General after former Attorney General Eric Holder resigned. Her name was also on the VP shortlist according to a Wikileaks document as reported by NBC.
In recent months, Klobuchar’s name has been thrown around as a potential 2020 candidate for President of the United States. Alpha News reported on a study conducted at the behest of former presidential candidate and former Governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley. It shows Democrat caucus voters in Iowa having a favorable view of Klobuchar for President. Coming in third with 11 percent, only O’Malley and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker came out with higher percentages with 18 percent and 17 percent respectively.
In January, Alpha News wrote about Klobuchar being named by The Hill as one of nine women who could win the oval office. The report notes Klobuchar having one main challenge to winning – “she is not a household name outside of Minnesota.”
Klobuchar seems to be quietly fixing this potential roadblock to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Alpha News analyzed Klobuchar’s national media appearances since the Presidential election. Klobuchar has made 30 on-camera appearances including CNN, MSNBC, FOX, ABC, and ESPN, not to mention countless on-air interviews done with local media.
Also, guest writing an op-ed on synthetic heroin with Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) for CNN, Klobuchar has also done interviews with the New York Times and NPR.
In addition to media interviews, Klobuchar has also increased her appearances, participating in the Women’s March in D.C. in January, hosting roundtables with Jewish Community leaders after the Jewish Community Center bomb hoaxes and another sex trafficking. She also hosted a forum on Ukraine, Russia, and human trafficking in February.
Klobuchar was also a guest speaker at the Minnesota Newspapers Association, the Center for American Progress event in D.C. She will be the main speaker for the Area 5 Luncheon with Rotary District 5950 on April 20, and was recently named the headliner for the Polk County, IA Democrats Spring Fundraiser.
While Klobuchar could be doing all of this in preparation for her re-election bid in 2018, She has remained under the radar for most her career as Minnesota’s Senior Senator. Klobuchar, who recently announced that she would not run for Governor said, “I really looked at the moment in history and I feel like my job is there.” She has never denied the possibility of a run for President in 2020, instead, she said, “We just got through a Presidential race, and I love my job and what I do now, and now more than ever we need people in the Senate that can work across the aisle.”
A Star Tribune piece from 2015 looked at Klobuchar’s next political steps. Klobuchar denied publishing a book in the attempts of one day advancing her career, but speculation was back in full force when later in the article, the paper interviewed former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty who said, “people usually publish books for one of a few reasons…They want to send a message, or tell an important story, they want to supplement their income… or it’s often viewed as a prerequisite to run for higher office.”
Whatever Klobuchar’s political future holds in the next few years, one thing is for certain – her decision to headline a spring fundraiser for Iowa Democrats in Polk County on May 7 will increase the hype around a potential Presidential campaign in 2020.
Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
