Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar announced on Sunday that she is joining the growing field of Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential nomination.
“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 U.S. Senate from the state of Minnesota, to announce my candidacy for president of the United States.”
“Our nation must be governed not from chaos but from opportunity.”
Klobuchar has focused on a number of progressive issues during her time in the Senate, including lowering prescription drug prices and supporting the Green New Deal.
However, Klobuchar may face a tough fight. This week former aides, speaking anonymously, accused the senator of sending demeaning emails, throwing office supplies, and even asking them to perform personal chores for her. The senator and others have pushed back against the allegations, suggesting the criticism is borne out of sexism against a female senator.
Bryce Smith, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Dallas Co., Iowa stated, “I don’t see being a hardass as a boss as a bad thing.”
She’s not the only one having to clear up controversy early in her presidential run. Senator Kamala Harris has dealt with criticism regarding her prosecutorial record, and Senator Elizabeth Warren has apologized several times for having claimed Native American ancestry in the past.
