Amy Klobuchar Announced Her 2020 Presidential Campaign To "Take Back Our Democracy"
On Sunday, Feb. 10, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) spoke to a crowd gathered in snowy Minnesota to announce her plans for 2020. Amy Klobuchar's 2020 presidential campaign announcement had a strong message to voters about her campaign plans and why she is running. Speaking to the crowd, following her initial announcement that she is running for president in 2020, Klobuchar explained to her supporters, per Axios:
I am running for this job for every person who wants their work recognized and rewarded. I am running for every parent who wants a better world for their kids. I'm running for every student who wants a good education. For every senior who wants affordable prescription drugs. For every worker, farmer, dreamer and builder. I am running for every American. I am running for you. And I promise you this — as your president, I will look you in the eye. I will tell you what I think. I will focus on getting things done. That's what I've done my whole life, and no matter what, I'll lead from the heart.
Some of the main topics Klobuchar spoke about in her announcement included focusing on making it easier to register to vote, addressing the effects of climate change, and increasing access to technology and the internet in rural America in order to end the "digital divide."
As Klobuchar spoke on Sunday afternoon, her Twitter page was also updated with information about her 2020 campaign. With a message of "It's time, America," Klobchar's campaign tweeted about the importance of voting rights and campaign finance reform, writing, "There are insidious forces every day that are trying to make it harder for people to vote, trying to drown out our voices with big money." Echoing Klobuchar's call in her speech, the tweet closed with:
It’s time to organize. Time to galvanize. Time to take back our democracy. It’s time, America!
Earlier in her speech at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Klobuchar gave her thoughts on the current state of the country and political system, along with what it might be in need of. She said that America is "in [a] time when we must heal the heart of our democracy and renew our commitment to the common good."
Sharing a peek into how she got to where she is today, Klobuchar said at the top of her speech, "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 United States Senate from the State of Minnesota, to announce my candidacy for President of the United States."
Klobuchar touched on a myriad of topics as she spoke in the snowy Midwest, including a call to "pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and get the dark money out of our politics," and she also shared her goal to pass her "bill to automatically register every young person to vote when they turn 18." Turning to the climate, she previewed what her administration would do, should she win the presidency, saying, "...[I]n the first 100 days of my administration, I will reinstate the clean power rules and gas mileage standards and put forth sweeping legislation to invest in green jobs and infrastructure."
After talking about implementing comprehensive immigration reform, closing tax loopholes, and advocating for universal health care, Klobuchar closed her speech by asking people to join her "homegrown" campaign.
Klobuchar joins the growing list of Democratic 2020 presidential candidates that includes the likes of Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts). With the list of candidates growing each week, you can be sure it will definitely be an interesting road to 2020.
