Klobuchar Picks Up New Endorsements As She Feels Momentum In Iowa

Iowa state Reps. Chris Hall of Sioux City and Monica Kurth of Davenport, along with state Sen. Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids, all endorsed Senator Amy Klobuchar in the Iowa Caucus this morning.

Hall and Kurth announced their endorsement when they joined other current legislators who have already backed Klobuchar at a news conference in the Statehouse Tuesday morning.

Both the representatives were former supporters of other candidates who have since dropped out. Hall was Beto O’Rourke’s political director for Iowa, while Kurth had previously endorsed Cory Booker.

In all, sixteen sitting Iowa legislators have now endorsed Klobuchar.

“When I think about my support for Senator Klobucahar, I also think of the people in my hometown who voted for Trump and the issues that motivated them,” Hall said. “Amy understands the people in my district.”

Hall mentioned Klobuchar’s plan to make one- and two-year college degrees more affordable and to make the path to prosperity more accessible for everyone.

Longtime climate advocate Hogg made his announcement on Twitter early Tuesday morning, saying her climate plan would lay the foundation for even further action on the crisis through the decade.

“We have many strong presidential candidates who I am and would be proud to support,” Hogg said in a an email. “She has a working family background, extensive experience on farm and rural issues, and a strong commitment to civil rights … She works hard and has a substantial record of legislative accomplishments and foreign policy experience in the U.S. Senate.”

Hogg’s endorsement comes after the end of his “climate conversation” series, a number of events hosted for nearly all Democratic hopefuls to share their solutions to climate change.

The endorsements add to the flurry of good news — perhaps prompted by Friday’s blizzard — that Klobuchar has received in the last few days.

Since the big snowstorm, Klobuchar has been endorsed by the Quad-City Times, split the New York Times Editorial Board’s endorsement with fellow Senator Elizabeth Warren and hit double digits in a recent Iowa poll.

“I had kind of a fun 48 hours!” Klobuchar proclaimed in Mason City on Monday evening. “I know there’s a lot of focus on The New York Times, but let’s not forget the Quad-City Times endorsement.

“I knew The New York Times one was coming and I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen,’ but I got four cities, really five if you count East Moline,” Klobuchar said of the Iowa/Illinois-based newspaper. “But it was really an honor to have both of those endorsements.”

Klobuchar later said, “I can tell you right now — the momentum — I can feel it.”

“We can win Iowa, not just for the presidency, but for the U.S. Senate, and we can send J.D. Scholten [to Congress],” she said.

Klobuchar’s supporters are certainly noticing the newfound momentum. Someone even brought a paper copy of the New York Times endorsement to the Mason City event for Klobuchar to sign.

“It’s a pretty big springboard for her, really,” said Tom Brunscheon, of Charles City. “She’s not really known outside of the Midwest I think.”

Larry Gergen, of Osage, agreed the endorsements will make a difference.

“It’s a good plus. Somebody else is recognizing what she can do,” Gergen said. “And I think the American people need to look at that. We need to get somebody in there that can get something done on both sides of the aisle.”

The endorsements even managed to impress two undecided caucus-goers.

“I think it would be awesome to have a woman in the White House,” said Shaelleen Elling, of Hampton, noting the dual New York Times endorsement.

Ann Bobst, of Hampton, said Klobuchar seems very level-headed.

“She seems like a hard worker,” Bobst said. “Like, she really gets things done. It sounds like she’s gotten a lot of bills signed in the Senate and worked very hard.”

Bobst and Elling said they’re going to spend the next two weeks analyzing the candidates’ websites to make their picks.

Meanwhile, Gergen, who used to live in Minnesota and knew of Klobuchar’s dad when he was a newspaperman, is sure he’ll caucus for Klobuchar.

“I think she’s the only one who gets anything done in Washington,” Gergen said. “She’s worked with both sides of the aisle instead of just being strictly one party or one system, and ‘it’s my way or the highway’ … We need somebody to bring unity to this country.”

Brunscheon also said he likes Klobuchar’s positions on the issues.

“She’s a moderate,” Brunscheon said. “I like her statement that Medicare for All is a pipe dream and she’ll come to some compromise, she’ll support Obamacare.”

“I like her stance on guns,” Brunscheon added. “I don think she’s going to scare Republicans away and, quite honestly, I think it’s time for a woman to be number one  in the White House.”

Klobuchar is headed back to D.C. today to fulfill her duties as a juror in Trump’s impeachment trial. But, her husband John Bessler, and their daughter, Abigail, are on their way to Iowa now.

Before the Senator gave up the stage in Mason City Monday evening, Klobuchar answered several questions from the crowd that she drew from a bucket.

One asked about balancing the Senate trial with the campaign.

“I would like to be here, but I have a constitutional duty,” Klobuchar said. “I think what we will be doing is we’re going to try do tele-town halls, actually, and phone into people. We’re going to try to Skype in when we can.”

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Klobuchar said the impeachment schedule is still in flux, so she’s not sure exactly how it’ll work.

“I’m going to depend a lot on all of you in this room,” Klobuchar said. “And I’m going to depend a lot on my surrogates.”

Her surrogates include Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

Before she left the stage in Cerro Gordo County, Klobuchar told the applauding crowd, “I’m going to remember the sendoff from Mason City.”

by Paige Godden
Posted 1/21/20