UPDATE 6/17/20 11pm ET: Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced that she has withdrawn her consideration to become presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden‘s vice presidential running mate. She had been undergoing the vetting process, but said on MSNBC’s The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell on June 17 that she believes a woman of color should get the selection. Her decision comes on the heels of protests in her home state of Minnesota and across the nation over the death a Black man, George Floyd, after a White Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest on May 25. Black Lives Matter marches and rallies have swept the U.S. and the world, calling for racial justice and an end to police brutality.
BREAKING: Sen. Klobuchar announces she is withdrawing from consideration to be Joe Biden's vice presidential choice: "I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket." pic.twitter.com/xk4zZIP7Yd
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 19, 2020
“After what I’ve seen in my state. After what I’ve seen across the country, this is a historic moment and America must seize on this moment. And I truly believe this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket,” Amy revealed, adding that she had told Biden of her decision to withdraw her consideration during a phone conversation the night before. “If to you want to heal this nation, this is sure a hell of a way to do it,” Amy explained about why she believed a woman of color belongs on the ticket.
UPDATE, 3/2/20, 2:08pm ET: Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has ended her presidential campaign, just hours after speaking to supports at a rally in Salt Lake City, Utah. Though she came in third place in New Hampshire, her other primary results have been less than desirable; she placed sixth in the South Carolina primary two days prior to her announcement. Her decision to drop out came the afternoon before Super Tuesday, arguably the most important day of the primary cycle, during which 14 states and territories cast their ballots.
At this time, Senator Klobuchar hasn’t released a statement about dropping out of the race, but is expected to fly to Texas tonight to appear at former Vice President Joe Biden‘s rally, where she will endorse him. Billionaire businessman Tom Steyer, 62, and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 38, also recently dropped out of the race.
ORIGINAL: Senator Amy Klobuchar, 59, 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
If you were supporting Senator Klobuchar in the 2020 race, don’t skip out on voting in the primaries or the general election. Vote for another remaining candidate who shares your values! If you haven’t already registered to vote, you can do so below: