The life of Senator Amy Klobuchar
From corporate attorney to Minnesota’s first woman senator, she has never lost an election. Now, she's running for president. This is the life of Amy Klobuchar.
Could she rise to the top?
“That is what America is all about. And I am running for president because I don't want to see our communities fracture anymore. I truly believe that we're better than this and we can bring people together that we can get things done.”
She’s never lost an election. She has a record of working across the aisle in the Senate. Now, she's running for president. This is Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Amy Jean Klobuchar was born in 1960 in Minnesota
Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a newspaper columnist. At 15, her parents divorced. Her father struggled with alcoholism while she was growing up. While attending Yale University, Klobuchar interned for former Vice President Walter Mondale, who became a lifelong friend and mentor.
After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, she worked as a corporate lawyer
In 1993, she married fellow attorney John Bessler. At 35, she was kicked out of a hospital just 24 hours after giving birth to her daughter, Abigail. This experience inspired her to move into politics, and she became an advocate for extending hospital stays to 48 hours for all new mothers. Discussing this experience, she describes, “Some of the lobbyists were trying to delay it and so I brought six pregnant women to the conference committee that were friends of mine. And they outnumbered the lobbyists 2 to 1. And when the legislators said, ‘When should this bill take effect?’ And the pregnant moms all raised their hands and said, ‘Now.’ And it didn't even wait until August 1, it went into effect the day the governor signed it.” It became law in Minnesota and President Bill Clinton later signed a similar law on a federal level in 1996.
At 38, she was elected as the top prosecutor for Minnesota’s most populous county
But she’s faced scrutiny over the prosecution of black teenager Myron Burrell, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards. An Associated Press investigation found the case was flawed, and Burrell could be innocent. She spoke about it on ABC’s The View. “I’ve been very clear. All of the past and new evidence must be reviewed in that case.”, she stated.
In 2006, at 46, she ran for Senate and won
She became Minnesota’s first woman senator. In the Senate, she’s known as a moderate who champions issues that attract bipartisan support —like lowering the cost of prescription drugs. But there are also reports that she’s a difficult boss, has a high staff turnover rate, and faced allegations by former staffers of demeaning and aggressive behavior. At 58, she raised her national profile during a hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. In 2018, she was re-elected to the Senate by a massive 24 points. At 58, she announced her candidacy for president. Her platform focuses on a centrist message and her Midwestern popularity could help Democrats win critical battleground states to defeat President Trump.
Brut.
Could she rise to the top?
“That is what America is all about. And I am running for president because I don't want to see our communities fracture anymore. I truly believe that we're better than this and we can bring people together that we can get things done.”
She’s never lost an election. She has a record of working across the aisle in the Senate. Now, she's running for president. This is Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Amy Jean Klobuchar was born in 1960 in Minnesota
Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a newspaper columnist. At 15, her parents divorced. Her father struggled with alcoholism while she was growing up. While attending Yale University, Klobuchar interned for former Vice President Walter Mondale, who became a lifelong friend and mentor.
After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, she worked as a corporate lawyer
In 1993, she married fellow attorney John Bessler. At 35, she was kicked out of a hospital just 24 hours after giving birth to her daughter, Abigail. This experience inspired her to move into politics, and she became an advocate for extending hospital stays to 48 hours for all new mothers. Discussing this experience, she describes, “Some of the lobbyists were trying to delay it and so I brought six pregnant women to the conference committee that were friends of mine. And they outnumbered the lobbyists 2 to 1. And when the legislators said, ‘When should this bill take effect?’ And the pregnant moms all raised their hands and said, ‘Now.’ And it didn't even wait until August 1, it went into effect the day the governor signed it.” It became law in Minnesota and President Bill Clinton later signed a similar law on a federal level in 1996.
At 38, she was elected as the top prosecutor for Minnesota’s most populous county
But she’s faced scrutiny over the prosecution of black teenager Myron Burrell, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards. An Associated Press investigation found the case was flawed, and Burrell could be innocent. She spoke about it on ABC’s The View. “I’ve been very clear. All of the past and new evidence must be reviewed in that case.”, she stated.
In 2006, at 46, she ran for Senate and won
She became Minnesota’s first woman senator. In the Senate, she’s known as a moderate who champions issues that attract bipartisan support —like lowering the cost of prescription drugs. But there are also reports that she’s a difficult boss, has a high staff turnover rate, and faced allegations by former staffers of demeaning and aggressive behavior. At 58, she raised her national profile during a hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. In 2018, she was re-elected to the Senate by a massive 24 points. At 58, she announced her candidacy for president. Her platform focuses on a centrist message and her Midwestern popularity could help Democrats win critical battleground states to defeat President Trump.
Brut.