Who is Amy Klobuchar? 5 facts about the senator from Minnesota that may surprise you

His tweet:

Her response:

Touché, senator.

2. Her experience with hospitals and insurance led her to activism

The senator’s daughter, Abigail, was born with a health condition that prevented her from swallowing properly. Klobuchar had to leave the hospital after a 24-hour stay, while her daughter remained there under care. Why? Health insurance policies.

This obvious injustice led Klobuchar to testify before the Minnesota state legislature, with the goal of mandating that 48-hour stays would be covered by insurance. She was successful! In 1996, then-President Bill Clinton signed a similar bill into federal law.

3. She wasn’t afraid to call out Brett Kavanaugh

During the Kavanaugh hearings, Klobuchar was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and took the opportunity to ask the now-Supreme Court justice about his drinking: Basically, had he ever been so drunk, he couldn’t remember what happened? (An incredibly fair, and even mild, phrasing of the question, given the allegations against him.) Kavanaugh reacted, as we all remember, like a furious child. He flipped the question on the senator, saying, “If you’re asking about blackout, I don’t know. Have you?” He eventually “apologized” to the senator. 

4. She was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota 

In 1996, Klobuchar became the first woman elected to the Senate from Minnesota, winning 56 percent of the vote. Since then, she’s continued to serve the state as a Democratic senator.

5. She leans moderate

The senator is pro-choice, wants to reduce defense spending, and supports green initiatives. However, she doesn’t support free college for all. She calls the Green New Deal and Medicare For All “aspirations.”

She’s pro-immigration reform, but got considerable flack for her willingness to negotiate with Trump over his demand for money for his hideously racist border wall. Her logic at the time? That the money wouldn’t go just to a literal wall, but to other related forms of security and personnel. Hmm…

You can watch the video of her campaign announcement here: