Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar has become the latest Democrat to bid to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Ms Klobuchar positioned herself as the most prominent Midwestern candidate as her party tries to win back voters in a region that helped put Mr Trump in the White House.

She is the latest to launch her bid in an increasingly crowded field of Democrats vying to challenge Mr Trump.

The current frontrunners for the Democrat nomination, according to bookmakers, include California senator Kamala Harris, former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke and former US vice president Joe Biden.

Mr O'Rourke and Mr Biden have not yet announced whether they will run in 2020, although Mr O'Rourke said he would make a decision this month.

Announcing her candidature, Ms Klobuchar told an audience on Sunday: "For every American, I'm running for you.

"And I promise you this: As your president, I will look you in the eye. I will tell you what I think. I will focus on getting things done.

"That's what I've done my whole life. And no matter what, I'll lead from the heart."

Ms Klobuchar's announcement comes a day after Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts senator, announced she would run for the presidency and makes her the ninth Democrat to launch their White House campaign.</s>Feb 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar entered the 2020 presidential race on Sunday, becoming the first moderate in an increasingly crowded field of Democrats vying to challenge Republican President Donald Trump.

Klobuchar becomes the fifth U.S. senator to announce her candidacy, and the fourth woman in the chamber.

Klobuchar, 58, now in her third six-year term as a senator for Minnesota, will seek to position herself as a contrast to Trump, who is expected to be the Republican candidate in the November 2020 election, focusing on both policy differences but also style and tact.

"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," Klobuchar said.

A large crowd assembled in Minnesota on an island in the middle of the Mississippi River, despite a heavy snowfall and 14 degree Fahrenheit (minus 10 Celsius) temperatures.

Klobuchar's announcement came amid several news reports of high staff turnover in her Senate office with workers complaining of having to do personal chores, making it difficult to hire high-level campaign strategists.

A former prosecutor and corporate attorney, Klobuchar joins a list of Democratic hopefuls that includes fellow Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Warren went to Iowa to campaign on Sunday after formally launching her bid on Saturday. Booker also spent the weekend in the Midwestern farm state.

"I'm tired of a government that works for a thin slice at the top and nobody else," said Warren, appearing at the University of Iowa. "It's pretty straightforward to me, not much fancier than that."

Booker also spent the weekend in the Midwestern farm state.

Klobuchar gained national attention in 2018 when she sparred with Brett Kavanaugh during Senate hearings on his Supreme Court nomination. Her questions earned her recognition in Democratic circles for working to advance the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault.

But the senator will have work to do to build a national profile. She barely registers in early opinion polls of potential Democratic candidates.

Klobuchar won her most recent Senate race in November with more than 60 percent of the vote.

But she raised only about $7.4 million, a relatively small amount compared with Senate candidates in more competitive races. By comparison, Warren raised $35 million in the same period.

Klobuchar hopes her moderate policies and strong electoral record in Minnesota will help her win back states Trump took from Democrats in the 2016 White House contest, including nearby Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan, Wisconsin, as well as Pennsylvania.

Klobuchar was the first 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful to use her launch speech to vow action on digital issues like privacy, saying "big tech companies" are misusing personal data.

"Our laws need to be as sophisticated as the people who are breaking them," she said. "We must revamp our nation’s cybersecurity and guarantee net neutrality."

Klobuchar began her foray into Minnesota politics by advocating for better access to healthcare for babies and new mothers after her own daughter was born with health complications, a personal narrative she is likely to use in the debate about the future of the nation’s healthcare system.

Klobuchar endorsed universal healthcare in her announcement speech, an issue that will be heavily debated during the Democratic nominating race.

She said she supports increasing "shared prosperity," adding, "We won't get there if people can't afford their health care and that means getting to universal health care and bringing down the costs of prescription drugs."

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Klobuchar's legislative efforts have focused on antitrust oversight, agriculture and voter security. She recently pushed for Senate investigations into whether Facebook Inc broke the law when it resisted oversight on how Russians used its platform to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.

She has been measured in her criticism of Trump, attacking the effects of his trade tariffs on farmers but avoiding more explosive issues like immigration and gun control.

Klobuchar is expected to focus her early presidential campaign on Iowa, which borders Minnesota and holds the nation's first nominating contest in February 2020.

An aggressive push in Iowa and a win there in 2008 helped catapult Barack Obama from underdog status to the Democratic nomination and eventual victory in that year's presidential election.</s>Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar announces run for president

"We are all tired of the shutdowns and the putdowns, the gridlock and the grandstanding," she said.</s>Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar has been dodging questions about a 2020 presidential campaign for months now. Once she planned an event for Sunday afternoon in Minnesota this weekend, many anticipated that she would finally be confirming she was joining the pack to try to win the Democratic nomination and that’s just what she did.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar gathered hearty Minnesotans in the Twin Cities on a cold, snowy Sunday afternoon to confirm what her supporters had been hoping to hear from her for months. Klobuchar said that she is running for president and she now joins a crowded field of others who have also formally announced their campaigns.

As WCCO details, Klobuchar served as the Hennepin County Attorney in Minneapolis before running for the Senate. She stepped in to run for Mark Dayton’s seat as he left the Senate in 2006 and she beat Republican candidate Mark Kennedy by 20 points.

Klobuchar ran for her second term in 2012, beating Republican Kurt Bills by nearly 35 points. She was just re-elected during the 2018 midterms with a 24-point win over her Republican challenger and she’s consistently been an incredibly popular politician across Minnesota.

While Klobuchar has been known and loved in Minnesota for some time, she isn’t as well-known nationally as some of the other Democratic presidential candidates. She did generate a great deal of buzz during her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court hearings and she is currently a ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

During her announcement, shared by CNN via Twitter, Klobuchar noted that she was the first female senator elected in Minnesota. She spoke about how she is the daughter of a teacher and a newspaper man, and those familiar with the Klobuchar name know that her father is former Star Tribune sports columnist Jim Klobuchar. Amy referred to her father, and his battle with alcoholism, during her questioning of Kavanaugh.

The Minnesota Senator says that she will “lead from the heart” and that she is “running for every American.” Klobuchar is known for being more moderate than some of the 2020 Democratic contenders and she has established a reputation for working across the aisle frequently.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar joins an already crowded field of potential Democratic candidates. CNN details that Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, John Delaney, author Marianne Williamson, and businessman Andrew Yang have all officially announced that they are running.

In addition, Pete Buggigieg, is “exploring” a presidential run, and people are keeping a close eye on a number of others. Current politicians like Sherrod Brown, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Beto O’Rourke have all hinted that they may run, but so far, they have not make any official announcements.

Can Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar find a way to stand out in this crowded field of Democratic contenders? It’s shaping up to be a fierce battle, but there’s definitely been a fair amount of buzz about Klobuchar and her supporters would say she certainly shouldn’t be discounted as the race moves toward the November 2020 election day.</s>Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar has announced she is running for president in the 2020 election.

Her announcement was made at an outdoor rally by the Mississippi River near Minneapolis.

The 58-year-old enters an increasingly crowded field of Democrats competing to challenge President Donald Trump.</s>Another Democratic woman has officially launched her 2020 campaign. Speaking under snowfall in Minneapolis on Sunday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar's 2020 presidential campaign announcement made her the latest to join an already crowded field of Democratic contenders.

"So today, 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, I stand before you as the granddaughter of an iron ore miner, as the daughter of a teacher and a newspaperman, as a the first woman elected to the United States Senate from the state of Minnesota, to announce my candidacy for president of the United States," Klobuchar said, according to video from her rally shared by The Washington Post.

More to come ...</s>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Add one more name to the growing list of Democrats who want to be president in 2020. Amy Klobuchar, a three-term senator from Minnesota, made the announcement Sunday in Minneapolis.

She’s the most prominent Midwesterner in the race so far. Her party is trying to win back voters in a region that help put Donald Trump in the White House in 2016.

Klobuchar has drawn support from voters in urban, suburban and rural areas, including in dozens of counties Trump won in 2016.

She has said that success could translate to other Midwestern states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, reliably Democratic in presidential races for decades until Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton.

The list of Democrats already in the race features several better-known senators with the ability to raise huge amounts of money. They include Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.

Sen. Klobuchar says if elected president she will seek to immediately address the problem of climate change.

She says on Day One of her administration, the U.S. would rejoin the Paris climate accord, the landmark agreement on curbing global warming. President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the accord in 2017, describing it as too costly for American businesses and taxpayers.

Klobuchar also says in her first 100 days as president she would reinstate clean power rules and gas mileage standards. And, she’s pledging to put forth “sweeping legislation” to invest in green jobs and infrastructure.

She says the people and science “are on our side” when it comes to addressing climate change.</s>Democrat Amy Klobuchar has announced her presidential bid at a snowy, outdoor event, vaulting the three-term Senator from Minnesota into the crowded field of party candidates angling to take on President Donald Trump in 2020.

Klobuchar, with snow piling up around her and blanketing the thousands of people before her, on Sunday cast herself as the product of working-class roots who can win bipartisan support and help Democrats win back the Midwestern cities and towns that drifted toward Trump in 2016, CNN reported.

Throughout her speech in Minneapolis, she pledged to take on issues like money in politics, climate change and election reform and leaned heavily into her Minnesota roots.

“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, 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 US Senate from the state of Minnesota, to announce my candidacy for President of the Us,” Klobuchar said.

“I’m asking you to join us on this campaign. It’s a homegrown one.

“I don’t have a political machine. I don’t come from money. But what I do have is this: I have grit.”

In her speech, Klobuchar also took a swipe at officials in Washington, promising that her honesty will set her apart from them.

The senator also went after Trump without mentioning him by name, criticising the President’s foreign policy and use of Twitter.

“We need to stand strong – and consistently – with our allies. We need to be clear in our purpose. We must respect our front line troops, diplomats and intelligence officers who are out there every day risking their lives for us … they deserve better than foreign policy by tweet.”

Due to freezing temperatures, Klobuchar’s team handed out hot cocoa and apple cider to the audience. Volunteers handed out small American flags and packs of Little Hotties hand warmers as people entered the park, CNN reported.

Klobuchar will follow her event in Minnesota with a trip to Iowa and Wisconsin next weekend and then another trip to Iowa on February 21.

Born in Plymouth, Minnesota, Klobuchar returned to her home state after attending Yale University and getting her law degree at the University of Chicago.

She began her career in private practice before being elected narrowly as Hennepin County attorney in 1998. She was re-elected with no competition in 2002.

Klobuchar now joins prominent Democratic figures who have announced presidential bids including Indian American Kamala Harris, New Jersey’s Cory Booker, New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand and Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren.

Vermont Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will announce his candidacy soon.</s>Senator Amy Klobuchar announced her 2020 presidential bid at Boom Island Park on Sunday afternoon, to a crowd of rapturous supporters who braved a flurry of snow to witness the Plymouth native’s speech.

“So today, 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 said, “ I stand before you … to announce my candidacy for president of the United States.”

In 2006 Klobuchar became Minnesota's first female elected U.S. senator, and previously was elected to Hennepin County attorney in 1998. She has never lost an election, and in 2018 was reelected to her third term in the senate by winning the race with a 24-point margin.

“We are tired of the shutdowns and the showdowns, of the gridlock and the grandstanding," Klobuchar said. "Today, on this snowy day on this island, we say enough is enough.”

In her speech, the 58-year-old talked about the fracturing communities across the nation caused by toxic politics, how she helped work across the aisle to swiftly rebuild the I-35 bridge after it collapsed in 2008, and her family’s Minnesota history. Her grandfather was an Iron Range miner, her father a former sports writer and columnist for the Star Tribune, while her mother, a union member, worked as a second grade teacher.

“I don't have a political machine. I don't come from money. But what I do have is this: I have grit," Klobuchar told her audience. "I have family, I have friends, I have neighbors, and I have all of you who are willing to come out in the middle of the winter, all of you who took the time to watch us today from home, and all of you today who are willing to stand up and say people matter.”

Last year, Klobuchar received national media attention during the hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, as she pressed him on whether he ever blacked out from drinking too much. She spoke at length today about the country's need to stop fear mongering and hate, and her vision for everybody's shared prosperity.

“Our nation must be governed not from chaos but by opportunity, not by wallowing over what’s wrong, but by marching inexorably towards what’s right,” Klobuchar said.

Among her goals for the presidency, Klobuchar brought up the necessity of bringing internet to rural America, comprehensive immigration reform, and closing tax loopholes to bring down the nation's debt. Klobuchar added that she wants to make it easier for workers to afford childcare, and to bring about universal healthcare, criminal justice reform, and universal background checks and common sense gun legislation into law.

"It's time to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and get the dark money out of our politics," Klobuchar said. "It is time to stop discriminatory action by restoring the Voting Rights Act. It is time to pass my bill to automatically register every young person to vote when they turn 18."

Over the course of her tenure in the senate, Klobuchar has fought for consumer protections, lowering the price of prescription drugs, online privacy regulations, school safety, and legislation to prevent human trafficking. She has become known for her homegrown, neighborly appeal across urban and rural Minnesota, and being politically moderate to compromise across the aisle on issues.

“Let us cross the river of our divides and walk across our sturdy bridge to higher ground,” she told the crowd.

Klobuchar has a reputation in the legislature for her pragmatism and her tenacious work ethic. In the 2015-16 congressional session, she backed more bills that became law than any other senator, while her office also has the highest rate of staff turnover in the senate.

“As your President, I will look you in the eye. I will tell you what I think,” she said. “I will focus on getting things done. That’s what I’ve done my whole life. And no matter what, I’ll lead from the heart.”

While there has never been a Minnesota politician elected president, it hasn’t been for lack of trying. Former Democratic Vice Presidents Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale lost their presidential elections to Richard Nixon in 1968 and Ronald Reagan in 1984, respectively, while former Governor Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann failed to secure the Republican nomination in 2012.

“I am running for this job for every person who wants their work recognized and rewarded. I am running for every parent who wants a better world for their kids. I am running for every student who wants a good education, for every senior who wants affordable prescription drugs, for every worker, farmer, dreamer, and builder. I am running for every American. I am running for you,” she said.</s>Minnesota’s self-described “senator next door” wants to move to the White House.

Amid a steady snow on the banks of the Mississippi River with the Minneapolis skyline obscured in the background, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Sunday entered the race for president in 2020.

The wintry scene was exactly what she was going for.

The snow-globe image of a hardy Midwesterner braving the “bold north” gives the three-term Democrat at least a visual distinction from the crowded field of candidates, including several women from the coasts, looking to oust President Donald Trump.

“We don’t let a little snow stop us, we don’t let a little cold stop us!” Klobuchar, ungloved and hatless, said shortly after being introduced by Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

Here’s the quote: “So today, 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, 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.”

The location was laced with imagery she drew attention to: The Mississippi as a unifying artery of the country; the collapse of the I-35W bridge as a tragic vehicle for heroism and resiliency; and the marked divide of American politics today.

“Let us cross the river of our divides and walk across our sturdy bridge to higher ground,” she said.

Fueled by 100 gallons of hot chocolate and 100 gallons of hot cider supplied by the campaign, the crowd — estimated by one Minneapolis police official at 2,000-3,000 — came to Boom Island Park across the river from downtown Minneapolis for the event.

Wood fires and propane heaters provided warmth as the bundled throngs awaited the announcement, snow accumulating on their hats and hoods.

Some supporters focused on Klobuchar’s long standing reputation for reaching across the aisle, while others carried clearly left-of-center messages. “Green New Deal!” read one sign, while Planned Parenthood logos could be seen as well.

Jordan Richard of Bloomington said she’s a good candidate because of her moderate tendencies.

“I think she’s a great bipartisan leader,” Richard said. “She’s got the charisma and reputation to lead the Democratic Party in the future. I think she’s got the right attitude to bring people together. She’s got a great track record.”

The question of how moderate — or how liberal — Klobuchar is is a topic of debate, with Republicans attempting to characterize her as too liberal, highlighting her support for stricter gun control and abortion rights.

Despite her popularity among Minnesota voters — she’s enjoyed 20- to 35-point margins of victory — any connections between Klobuchar and “Minnesota nice” were already under assault before Sunday’s official announcement.

Former staffers, speaking under conditions of anonymity to several media outlets, and some internal campaign emails leaked during the past week have painted a picture of an overly demanding, if not verbally abusive, boss.

“The record shows that while Senator Amy Klobuchar represents Minnesota, she clearly doesn’t fit the ‘Minnesota Nice’ persona. Last year, Senator Klobuchar won the award of most staff turnover and nearly every day this week a new story came out highlighting the horrors of working for our very own Minnesota Senator. From crying daily to dodging flying binders thrown by Senator Klobuchar, it is no surprise staff fled the almost abusive situation at record speed. How is a person who fails to successfully maintain her staff and run an office, supposed to successfully run a country? It seems to me a bad boss would lead to a bad leader.”

“Senator Klobuchar loves her staff,” her campaign has said, in part, in response.

There’s little question Klobuchar has long been known among political circles to be “intense” with her staff. “Intense” is a word even her defenders use. Opinions as to how far her behavior goes — and whether she’s being held to a double-standard because she’s a woman — vary, according to those who have spoken to the Pioneer Press.

Klobuchar never uttered the name of Trump, although her references were hardly veiled as she railed on the tenor of politics and the current administration. America’s “sense of community is fracturing across our nation right now, worn down by the petty and vicious nature of our politics. We are all tired of the shutdowns and the showdowns, the gridlock and the grandstanding. … Our nation must be governed not from chaos but from opportunity,” she said.

“Stop the fear-mongering and stop the hate,” she later said in calling for immigration reform.
United States Senator Amy Klobuchar announces her intention to run for President of the United States in the 2020 United States presidential election.