U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar was expected to enter the 2020 presidential race on Sunday, becoming the first moderate in an increasingly crowded field of Democrats vying to challenge Republican President Donald Trump.
Ms. Klobuchar, 58, now in her third six-year term as a Senator for Minnesota, will seek to position herself as a contrast to Mr. Trump, who is expected to be the Republican candidate in the November 2020 election, focussing on both policy differences but also style and tact. A former prosecutor and corporate attorney, Ms. Klobuchar joins a list of Democratic hopefuls that includes fellow Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Heading to Iowa
Ms. Warren headed to Iowa to campaign on Sunday after formally launching her bid on Saturday. Mr. Booker is also spending the weekend in the Midwestern farm State.
Ms. Klobuchars campaign announcement came amid several news reports that staff in her Senate office were asked to do menial tasks, including some personal in nature like laundry, making it difficult for her to hire high-level campaign strategists. Ms. Klobuchar gained national attention in 2018 when she sparred with Brett Kavanaugh during Senate hearings on his Supreme Court nomination.
Building a profile
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. She hopes her moderate policies and strong electoral record in Minnesota will help her win back States Mr. Trump took from Democrats in the 2016 White House contest, including nearby Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan, Wisconsin, as well as Pennsylvania.
Ms. Klobuchar has focussed her efforts on issues like antitrust oversight, agriculture and voter security. Recently, she 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.
