Amy Klobuchar: 5 Things To Know About MN Senator Who Announced She’s Running For President

February 10, 2019

She’s running! Senator Amy Klobuchar officially announced on February 10 that she’s going up against Donald Trump for president as a Democrat in 2020. Find out more about the senator and her platform here.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, 58, of Minnesota announced during a rally in Minneapolis on February 10 that she’s running for president in 2020! The Democratic senator, known for her smart line of questioning during Brett Kavanaugh‘s SCOTUS confirmation hearing, is the 14th person to throw their hat in the ring to go up against President Donald Trump in the next election. Learn more about Klobuchar:

1. She is Minnesota’s first elected female United States senator: Klobuchar was elected to the Senate in 2006, thus becoming Minnesota’s first elected female senator (Muriel Humphrey was appointed senator after her husband’s death and not elected). She was described as a “rising star” of the Democratic party in 2009 and 2010 for her tenacity and progressive policies. She was an intern for former vice president and Minnesota senator, Walter Mondale, while a student at Yale.

2. She got into politics to fight for the rights of mothers and medical care. Klobuchar’s daughter, Abigail Klobuchar Bessler, was born in 1995 with a serious medical condition whereby she couldn’t swallow. Despite this, the hospital forced her to leave just 24 hours after giving birth. This traumatic experience led her to appear before the Minnesota State Legislature to advocate for a bill that would guarantee that new mothers could stay in the hospital for 48 hours. Minnesota not only passed the bill, but then-President Bill Clinton made it a federal law.

3. She endorsed Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton during their presidential campaigns. Klobuchar announced in 2008 that she would endorse Obama in the presidential primary, and promised her unpledged superdelegate vote to him. She was also an early supporter of Clinton in 2016 despite not supporting her in 2008 against Obama.

4. She’s responsible for one of the most memorable moments during Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing. Klobuchar kind of broke Kavanaugh. After fiery exchanges with Lindsey Graham and Cory Booker, Kavanaugh clearly thought he had nothing to worry about with Klobuchar. We all remember the moment. Klobuchar asked Kavanaugh if he ever drank so much that he blacked out — a fair question considering why they were there: Professor Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were in high school during the 1980s. Instead of answering, Kavanaugh got clearly flustered and shot back, “Have you?” He asked her multiple times before finally saying that he hadn’t blacked out before. He later apologized for his behavior.

5. She’s a member of the following Senate committees and subcommittees:

Committee on the Judiciary
Subcommittee Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights (Ranking Member)
Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration
Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights, and Federal Courts
Joint Economic Committee
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet
Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection
Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety
Subcommittee on Security
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy
Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Livestock, Marketing and Agriculture Security
Committee on Rules and Administration (Ranking Member)
Joint Committee on Printing
Joint Committee on Library