Klobuchar's 3rd Place Finish In New Hampshire 'Shocked The Establishment' - NPR

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In a crowded field of candidates, Klobuchar carved out a path running as a pragmatic moderate from the Midwest who can consolidate support from liberal and more centrist voters alike.

"Hello, America," Klobuchar said to a room of supporters on Tuesday night. "I'm Amy Klobuchar, and I will beat Donald Trump."

"Amy Klobuchar just shocked the establishment," said Howard Dean, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, speaking on CNN on Wednesday. "All of a sudden, Amy Klobuchar is now a serious candidate." Her performance Tuesday followed a strong showing in Friday night's Democratic debate, which appeared to win over late-breaking undecided voters. The three-term senator dragged Buttigieg for being a "cool newcomer." And she portrayed herself as a more reasonable alternative to more left-leaning candidates. She vowed to change the tone of the presidency and to be an advocate for struggling Americans.

"There is a complete lack of empathy in this guy in the White House right now, and I will bring that to you," Klobuchar said to audience cheers during the debate. "If you have trouble stretching your paycheck to pay for that rent, I know you, and I will fight for you. If you have trouble deciding if you're going to pay for your child care or your long-term care, I know you and I will fight for you," she said. "I do not have the biggest name up on this stage. I don't have the biggest bank account," she added. "But I have a record of fighting for people." It's a message that resonated with New Hampshire voters. More than half of Klobuchar's supporters made the decision to vote for her in the last few days before the primary, according to an AP VoteCast survey of more than 3,000 Democratic primary voters in the state.

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In a 2019 ranking by The Lugar Center and Georgetown University judging how often lawmakers introduce legislation that attracts co-sponsors from the opposing party, Klobuchar was rated as the 23rd most bipartisan senator in Congress. Her two fellow senators running for president, Warren and Sanders, ranked 68th and 100th, respectively.

On the campaign trail, Klobuchar has positioned herself within the more moderate wing of the Democratic Party: she has stopped short of endorsing "Medicare for All," saying she prefers more immediate steps that will expand health care coverage. And she opposes tuition-free college. "I have stood up on so many progressive issues, whether it is choice, whether it is the environment, whether it is standing up for immigrants and against racial injustice," she told NPR last year. "But there are moments where we can find common ground."

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Her road ahead appears challenging. Klobuchar placed her first advertisement in Nevada on Tuesday and has barely spent on messaging in South Carolina, having expended much of her campaign resources in Iowa and New Hampshire. Another obstacle will be winning over nonwhite voters. Nevada's voters were were 41% nonwhite in the 2016 election, and 61% of South Carolina Democratic voters were African American. Klobuchar has defended both her support among black voters and her prior career as a county prosecutor. During a Tuesday interview on The View, she said she has "always has had strong support" among African American voters in her home state of Minnesota, in addition to the backing of black community leaders who have campaigned for her, she said


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https://www.npr.org/2020/02/12/805155617/klobuchars-3rd-place-finish-in-new-hampshire-shocked-the-establishment