Amy for America
For Immediate Release: February 28, 2020

ICYMI: Amy Klobuchar Earns Endorsement of Former Obama Administration Official Andy Slavitt 

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Today, Senator Amy Klobuchar earned the endorsement of board chair of United States of Care Andy Slavitt, who ran the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from 2015 to 2017 under President Obama, and oversaw implementation of the Affordable Care Act. In an op-ed for USA Today, Slavitt cited her ability to listen, build coalitions to get things done, and take on Trump “without alienating those who voted for him, as she has done winning these supporters in the past.”
 
KEY POINT: “Klobuchar has a rare mix of ‘gets what it’s like in the real world’ with ‘gets how it works to get things done.’ Normally people who go between two worlds are never quite present in either or they become chameleons. Amy is Amy is Amy. Tough, smart, empathetic, diplomatic, willing to compromise but unwilling to bend principle. She brings a deep understanding of the toll of generational hopelessness, suffering, and addiction. She passes more bills than any other senator because she believes not in empty statements but in doing the most good for people.”
 
USA Today: Minnesota tough with real world skills: Why Amy Klobuchar has my vote and should get yours

By Andy Slavitt

When I pulled up to Amy Klobuchar’s house a couple of years ago in a working-class neighborhood in an unglamorous part of Minneapolis, the first thing I thought was that I must have the wrong house. Small patch of lawn, lots of traffic, squeezed in next to her neighbors — this is not what you picture for a U.S. senator.

The second thing I noticed was that her weekend party wasn’t filled with famous people and socialites. There were people walking over from next door and down the block, lots of hugs and laughter. There were friends from the neighborhood, friends from law school, lots of friends and former-staff from her time as the Hennepin County attorney, parents of her daughter’s friends, and longtime friends of her husband John. We had moved to Minnesota much more recently, but she made us feel like welcome friends.

Seeing her at home was an interesting contrast from a year or two earlier when we had lunch in the Senate dining room. I had just gotten to Washington to work on health care in the Obama administration, and although I knew other senators, Amy was the only one to send me such an invitation.

Courting, not confrontation

While we ate, as senators from both parties walked past us, Amy would lean over and tell me about bills they were working on, their areas of focus, their political concerns and, frequently, her goal of recruiting that senator as a co-sponsor or supporter on something she wanted to pass. On several occasions, she would flag the down a senator, introduce me, have me spend a minute on what I was doing in the Obama administration, and then gracefully move to discuss their commonality in co-sponsoring a piece of legislation.

I was amazed at her depth on such a range of topics and how much homework she had clearly done on each of the issues she was discussing. And I noticed that she didn’t confront, she courted. And she didn’t court, like many do, by using flattery or persuasion; she courted by listening, talking principles, and agreeing to find a next step. It was a master class in charm and diplomacy, one that had required painstaking homework.

Few people have the grace to know something and still listen to others. Our current president sometimes doesn’t seem to know much of anything at all and never seems to have the grace to keep his mouth shut. President Obama did. In my experience, he knew when to listen, when to suggest, when to persuade, when to honor the person talking with his full attention, and when it was time to take charge. And when he did, people listened. He didn’t get every decision right, but I was never in a room with him where he didn’t get the best options on the table.

So, what would a Klobuchar presidency be like?

Klobuchar has a rare mix of “gets what it’s like in the real world” with “gets how it works to get things done.” Normally people who go between two worlds are never quite present in either or they become chameleons. Amy is Amy is Amy. Tough, smart, empathetic, diplomatic, willing to compromise but unwilling to bend principle. She brings a deep understanding of the toll of generational hopelessness, suffering, and addiction. She passes more bills than any other senator because she believes not in empty statements but in doing the most good for people. As she put it in Tuesday night’s debate, quoting the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, “Politics is about improving people’s lives.”

She has some of the empathy of Obama and the get-it-done of LBJ.

Persuading a reluctant Congress is key

I believe that after you cut through all the candidates’ plans, what gets done will amount to what a president persuades a reluctant Congress to do. Job creation, better health care, protecting the environment, re-vitalizing rural communities, growing the economy—these are what Klobuchar is about. But she’s also about coalition building with our allies, close communication with our Congress, and consultation with experts and political rivals to get things done.

For all of these reasons, I have thought Amy Klobuchar would make a great president. But she wouldn’t have my support if I didn’t think she could take on Trump. It’s no easy feat to battle someone who is willing to lie about his record, name-call and cheat, as he is likely to do at every opportunity. But Klobuchar has an advantage here. She too can talk directly to Trump voters. Her life is more like theirs than his is. It’s why she wins in areas where Democrats usually don’t. She’s unlikely to be either baited into name calling or fooled into following the narratives he spins. She will know how to hold him to account without alienating those who voted for him, as she has done winning these supporters in the past.

And doing this will be essential for her. Because Amy Klobuchar doesn’t want to simply win the presidency. She wants to unite the country again. Even if she doesn’t convert them, Trump voters will see in her someone who represents not just her own voters but them as well. She’s what America needs, at a time when Americans couldn’t need it more.

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Amy for America
For Immediate Release: February 7, 2020

Former Congressman and Presidential Candidate, Admiral Joe Sestak Endorses Senator Amy Klobuchar

Sestak to Campaign for Klobuchar in New Hampshire

MANCHESTER, NH — Former Presidential candidate and Congressman, Admiral Joe Sestak today endorsed Senator Amy Klobuchar for President. He cited Klobuchar’s experience, ability to unite the country, and understanding of global leadership as the reasons why she is best qualified to serve as Commander in Chief. 

"We need a nominee with a depth and breadth of experience to govern effectively, a proven track record of winning in red and blue districts and states so we can unite this country again, and an understanding of the need to rebuild our global leadership so we can convene the world to tackle the defining challenges of our time. It's why I ran for President last year - and having seen her on the campaign trail and observed her work in the Senate, it's why I know Amy Klobuchar is uniquely qualified to be President. I'm proud to endorse her," said Admiral and former Congressman and Presidential candidate Joe Sestak.

Sestak will campaign for Senator Klobuchar in New Hampshire throughout the weekend, where he’ll host events at veteran’s organizations throughout the Granite State. His endorsement comes as a recent poll found Senator Amy Klobuchar surging in New Hampshire with just days until the primary. In the new Monmouth poll, Klobuchar has jumped seven points since September to 9%. According to the poll, “In a race restricted to the top five polling candidates, the race tightens to 17% Biden, 13% Warren, and 13% Klobuchar.”

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Amy for America
For Immediate Release: February 1, 2020

Congresswoman Linda Sánchez Endorses Senator Amy Klobuchar for President

Two Days Before Iowa Caucuses, Sánchez Throws Her Support Behind Klobuchar

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Today, two days before the Iowa Caucuses, Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (CA-38) announced her endorsement of Senator Amy Klobuchar for President citing her track record and history of delivering real results. 

“Our number one priority in this election is defeating Donald Trump and Senator Amy Klobuchar is the best candidate to take him on,” said Congresswoman Linda Sánchez. “Amy not only has bold, progressive policies and an optimistic economic agenda, she also has a proven track record of delivering real results as I’ve seen in the Senate. Amy will be a President for all of America and I’m proud to support her in this campaign.”

Nationally recognized as a leading progressive voice in Congress for working families, Congresswoman Linda Sánchez has fought to strengthen communities by helping small businesses create more good-paying jobs, increasing access to educational opportunities, and helping hard-working people get ahead.

Congresswoman Sánchez served as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus in the 115th Congress (2017-2019), the fifth-highest ranking position in House Democratic Leadership. In this leadership position, she focused on strengthening the American Dream for men and women all across the country. Congresswoman Sánchez is the first Latina elected to a leadership position in the U.S. Congress.

The endorsement comes on the heels of endorsements from the Quad-City Times, the New York Times and three New Hampshire papers: the New Hampshire Union LeaderThe Keene Sentinel, and the Seacoast Media Group
 
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Amy for America
For Immediate Release: January 19, 2020

New York Times Editorial Board Endorses Amy Klobuchar for President

Dual Endorsement Comes After Klobuchar Was Endorsed By Quad-City Times Earlier Today

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Tonight, The New York Times editorial board announced that it was endorsing Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senator Elizabeth Warren for President. The endorsement comes after Senator Klobuchar was endorsed by the Quad-City Times earlier in the day. 

“Today’s endorsement from The New York Times makes it clear that Amy Klobuchar is the candidate for Americans who are fed up with the noise and nonsense coming out of Washington. She has the knowledge, knowhow, and grit it takes to bring people together, take on big challenges, and produce real results,” said Amy For America Campaign Manager Justin Buoen. “We’re honored to have this endorsement as our grassroots campaign continues to build momentum heading into the Iowa caucuses.”

Read what they wrote:

  • “Amy Klobuchar has emerged as a standard-bearer for the Democratic center. Her vision goes beyond the incremental. Given the polarization in Washington and beyond, the best chance to enact many progressive plans could be under a Klobuchar administration.”
  • “The senator from Minnesota is the very definition of Midwestern charisma, grit and sticktoitiveness. Her lengthy tenure in the Senate and bipartisan credentials would make her a deal maker (a real one) and uniter for the wings of the party — and perhaps the nation.”
  • “Ms. Klobuchar speaks about issues like climate change, the narrowing middle class, gun safety and trade with an empathy that connects to voters’ lived experiences, especially in the middle of the country. The senator talks, often with self-deprecating humor, about growing up the daughter of two union workers, her Uncle Dick’s deer stand, her father’s struggles with alcoholism and her Christian faith.”
  • “Ms. Klobuchar promises a foreign policy based on leading by example, instead of by threat-via-tweet. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, she serves on the subcommittees responsible for oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the nation’s borders and its immigration, citizenship and refugee laws. In 13 years as a senator, she has sponsored and voted on dozens of national defense measures, including military action in Libya and Syria. Her record shows that she is confident and thoughtful, and she reacts to data — what you’d want in a crisis.”
  • “All have helped Ms. Klobuchar to be the most productive senator among the Democratic field in terms of bills passed with bipartisan support, according to a recent study for the Center for Effective Lawmaking. When she arrived in the Senate in 2007, Ms. Klobuchar was part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers that proposed comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for 12 million undocumented immigrants, before conservative pundits made it political poison. Her more recent legislative accomplishments are narrower but meaningful to those affected, especially the legislation aimed at helping crime victims. This is not surprising given her background as the chief prosecutor in Minnesota’s most populous county. For example, one measure she wrote helped provide funds to reduce a nationwide backlog of rape kits for investigating sexual assaults.”
  • “Any hope of restoring unity in the country will require modesty, a willingness to compromise and the support of the many demographics that make up the Democratic coalition — young and old, in red states and blue, black and brown and white. For Senator Klobuchar, that’s acknowledging the depth of the nation’s dysfunction.”
  • “May the best woman win.”
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