Amy Klobcuhar. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Democrat Amy Klobuchar is a senator from Minnesota known for her pragmatism and effective legislating. She has championed legislation ranging from drug pricing to regulating Big Tech. Her infrastructure proposal is Klobuchar's "top budget priority."
Key facts about Amy Klobuchar:
- Current position: Senator from Minnesota — 12 years served
- Age: 58
- Born: Plymouth, Minnesota
- Undergraduate: Yale University
- Date candidacy announced: Feb. 10, 2019
- % of votes in line with Trump, per FiveThirtyEight: 30.8%
- Previous roles: Hennepin County attorney, corporate lawyer
Her stance on key issues:
- Infrastructure: Introduced a $1 trillion policy rollout in March that would use federal funds and tax subsidies to update U.S. infrastructure.
- Health care: One of 2 Democratic candidates who signed a letter backing Medicare Advantage, an alternative to traditional Medicare.
- Mental health: Released a $100 billion plan to combat mental health problems and substance abuse over the next decade, focused on prevention, treatment and recovery. She wants a chunk of the money to come from opioid manufacturers for their role in the national epidemic.
- Climate change: Backs the Green New Deal. Wants to re-enter Paris climate accord, achieve 100% net zero emissions by 2050, end fossil fuel subsidies and create jobs with heartland workers in mind.
- Criminal justice: Supported the bipartisan First Step Act, a reform of the federal prison system, in the Senate.
- Drug pricing: Urged the FTC to crack down on "pay-for-delay" pharmaceutical deals.
- Sexual harassment: Successfully pushed for legislation mandating sexual harassment training in the Senate.
- Data privacy: Sponsored a bill that proposed regulations for Facebook's data practices. She was the lead sponsor of legislation that would regulate online political ads.
- Opioids: Co-sponsored a bill that would impose a one-cent tax for each milligram of opioids in a pain pill. The funds for the tax would be used for substance abuse treatment.
- Immigration: Wants legislative reform to protect DACA and TPS recipients.
- Gun control: Wants universal background checks, to close gun show loopholes and to ban assault weapons, bump stocks and high-capacity magazines.
- Education: Released a plan to increase federal funding for public schools if a school's state:
- Increases teacher pay.
- Recommends how to improve school services for working families.
- Prioritizes "workforce readiness" in high school curriculums.
- Creates a way for federal funds to be used for construction and repairs in school buildings.
Agriculture: Wants to raise the debt cap on farm bankruptcies and increase access to federal loan programs.
Key criticisms:
- Staff treatment: Multiple media outlets have detailed Klobuchar's alleged history of emotionally abusive treatment of her staff.
- Pragmatism: Hasn't embraced policies like Medicare for All and free college as many of her fellow 2020 Democratic hopefuls.
1 fun thing:
- According to a Vogue profile, "[s]he loves to brag that when she first ran for Senate, no one would take her calls, so she raised $17,000 from ex-boyfriends."
Go deeper: Everything you need to know about the other 2020 candidates