In her first TV ad of the presidential primary, Amy Klobuchar is pitching herself to Iowa caucus-goers as the candidate who can best appeal to all parts of the country.
“If you feel stuck in the middle of the extremes in our politics and you are tired of the noise and the nonsense, you’ve got a home with me,” she says in the 30-second ad.
Most of the clips are from Klobuchar’s debate stage performance from September, interspersed with scenes from her campaigning in early states.
The focus of the ad plays up what Klobuchar has said often on the campaign trail in Iowa — that she can govern effectively because she won’t play to political extremes that she views as divisive for the country. For the Iowa Caucus, one path to victory can run through winning over rural counties where a set number of delegates are allocated, often decided by older Democrats who may not be as progressive as others.
“I believe that to win, you bring people with you and that is how you govern, as well,” Klobuchar says in the ad. “Because I don’t want to be the president for half of America. I want to be the president for all of America.”
Klobuchar has also emphasized to Iowa Democrats that she would seriously contest Midwestern states, something that would help down-ballot candidates regardless of whether the presidential nominee wins here.
“Our new ad builds on the case Amy’s making to voters in Iowa and New Hampshire and underscores exactly why she’s the best candidate to not just defeat Donald Trump, but deliver victories up and down the ballot,” said Klobuchar’s national campaign manager Justin Buoen, in a statement.
The campaign is making a six-figure ad buy in Iowa, running the new TV spots in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids media markets, starting on Thursday. That’s also the day Klobuchar will return to Iowa for her 20th trip to the state.
On Thursday and Friday, Klobuchar will hold campaign events in Southwest and Central Iowa, visiting her 50th Iowa county of the cycle. She has been one of the most frequent visitors to the lead-off caucus state, both during this run and in previous years for various party events.
Now that the 3rd fundraising quarter is over, there will likely be significantly more Iowa campaign travel for the entire Democratic field. Most candidates were banking as much money as possible for the public report so they could spend as much time as possible in the final four months visiting the early states. Klobuchar’s campaign has not yet released how much money they raised in the 3rd quarter.
Below is Klobuchar’s travel schedule for this week in Iowa.
Thursday, October 3
TradeWorks Academy Tour at Council Bluffs High Schools
Thursday, October 3 at 11:30 AM
Abraham Lincoln High School – 1205 Bonham St, Council Bluffs, IA 51503
Meet & Greet with Adair County residents
Thursday, October 3 at 2:30 PM
The Corner, 284 Public Square, Greenfield IA 50849
Meet & Greet with Des Moines residents
Thursday, October 3 at 5:30 PM
Africana Halal Restaurant – 2907 Douglas Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50310
West Des Moines House Party
Thursday, October 3 at 7:15 PM
Home of Jackie Wellman – 3012 Elm Street, West Des Moines, IA 50265
Friday, October 4
REG Biorefinery Plant Tour and Roundtable
Friday, October 4 at 3:00 PM
REG Newton – 3426 E 28th Street N, Newton, IA 50208
by Pat Rynard
Posted 10/2/19