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Amy Klobuchar (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Minnesota. She assumed office on January 4, 2007. Her current term ends on January 3, 2025.
Klobuchar (Democratic Party) ran for election for President of the United States. She withdrew before the Democratic convention on August 18, 2020.
Klobuchar endorsed 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on March 2, 2020.[1]
Klobuchar was mentioned as a possible nominee to replace former United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away on February 13, 2016. Ultimately, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland.[2]
Before her election to the U.S. Senate, Klobuchar was an attorney in Hennepin County, Minnesota.[3]
Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Klobuchar is an average Democratic member of Congress, meaning she will vote with the Democratic Party on the majority of bills.
Klobuchar was born in 1960 and grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota. She earned her B.A. graduating magna cum laude from Yale University in 1982, and she received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1985. While attending Yale, Klobuchar interned for Vice President Walter Mondale (D).[4]
Prior to running for public office, Klobuchar was a partner at the law firms of Dorsey & Whitney and Gray Plant Mooty.[3] She was elected Hennepin County attorney in 1998 with 50.4 percent of the vote and re-elected in 2002 with no opposition.[5] She served as county attorney until 2006, the year she was first elected to the U.S. Senate.
Klobuchar won that election with 58 percent of the vote, and she was re-elected with over 60 percent support in 2012 and 2018. In 2014, Senate Democrats elected Klobuchar as chair of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, which works with advocacy groups, policy experts, and intergovernmental organizations to shape policy positions.[6][7]
Klobuchar has published two books: Uncovering the Dome—based off her Yale senior essay on the politics surrounding the construction of the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome—in 1986 and the memoir The Senator Next Door: A Memoir from the Heartland in 2015.[8]
Below is an abbreviated version of Klobuchar's academic, professional, and political career:[9]
Prior to President Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland, Klobuchar was mentioned as a possible nominee to replace former United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on February 13, 2016.[2]
Klobuchar was assigned to the following committees:
Klobuchar was assigned to the following committees:
At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Klobuchar was assigned to the following committees:[10]
Klobuchar served on the following Senate committees:[11]
Klobuchar served on the following Senate committees:[12]
Klobuchar served on the following Senate committees:[13]
Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.
| Key votes (click "show" to expand or "hide" to contract) |
|---|
114th Congress[edit]The first session of the 114th Congress enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session. In the second session, the 114th Congress enacted 133 out of 3,159 introduced bills (4.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 7.0 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[14][15] The Senate confirmed 18,117 out of 21,815 executive nominations received (83 percent). For more information pertaining to Klobuchar's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections.[16] Economic and fiscal[edit]Trade Act of 2015[edit]
2016 Budget proposal[edit]
Defense spending authorization[edit]
2015 budget[edit]
Foreign Affairs[edit]Iran nuclear deal[edit]
Domestic[edit]USA FREEDOM Act of 2015[edit]
Cyber security[edit]
Immigration[edit]
113th Congress[edit]The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[50] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Klobuchar's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[51] National security[edit]American response in Syria[edit]
Klobuchar released the following statement regarding the situation in Syria: “The president is right to consult with Congress and obtain approval before taking military action in Syria. The decision to allow Congress to debate will give us the ability to carefully consider the evidence and consult with military officials before making a decision. I continue to strongly believe that we should not have American troops on the ground in Syria. I also urge the president to continue to work with our international allies.”[52] John Brennan CIA nomination[edit]
Economy[edit]Government shutdown[edit]
According to a spokesperson for Klobuchar, she "is giving her pay during the government shutdown to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, since lifesaving NIH medical research is being slashed during the shutdown.[56] No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013[edit]
Immigration[edit]Mexico-U.S. border[edit]
Social issues[edit]Violence Against Women (2013)[edit]
Previous congressional sessions[edit]Fiscal Cliff[edit]
|
Klobuchar made an appearance at the 2013 Democratic Wing Ding, a fundraiser in Northern Iowa. She was the keynote speaker, and she criticized House Republicans for not passing the farm bill and the immigration bill. She specifically criticized Iowa's 4th Congressional District's Republican Representative Steve King for his opposition to the immigration bill. Klobuchar added that she partly attended the fundraiser to support Iowa Democrat Bruce Braley, who ran for Senator Tom Harkin's seat in 2014.[61]
In December 2013, Klobuchar said that the close friendships between her fellow congresswomen helped resolve the federal shutdown. She noted that the women had dinner together every other month. She said, "We are really good friends and when people talk about the days of old and they miss the days that people used to work together, we’ve got that going with the 20 female senators."[62] -->
Klobuchar was mentioned as a possible Democratic vice presidential candidate. On July 22, 2016, Hillary Clinton announced that she had selected U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) as her running mate.[63]
In December 2013, Klobuchar criticized the United Arab Emirates for holding an American over a mock documentary. Shezanne Cassim was a University of Minnesota graduate who moved to Dubai in 2006. He made and posted a satirical video online that made fun of the youth culture in Dubai. Cassim was arrested in April 2012 and charged with violating cybercrimes laws and endangering national security.[64] He pleaded not guilty but was sentenced to one year in a maximum-security prison. Klobuchar defended Cassim, saying, "I figure if Mick Jagger can play Abu Dhabi, these guys shouldn’t be in jail for putting a video up. If he’s not home by the time of that Rolling Stones concert, they’ve got a problem. They can’t have Mick Jagger up there singing his songs and then have this guy in jail."[65]
Klobuchar worked with U.S. State Department to seek Cassim's release. He was freed in January 2014 after spending nine months behind bars, and returned to Minnesota just six weeks before the Rolling Stones concert.[66][67]
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) won the presidential election on November 3, 2020. Biden received 306 electoral votes and President Donald Trump (R) received 232 electoral votes. In the national popular vote, Biden received 81.2 million votes and Trump received 74.2 million votes.
Klobuchar formally announced she was running for president on February 10, 2019.[68] She ended her presidential campaign on March 2, 2020.[69]
Ballotpedia compiled the following resources about Klobuchar and the 2020 presidential election:
Click here for Klobuchar's 2020 presidential campaign overview.
|
State
|
Date
|
% of vote received
|
Pledged delegates
|
| Iowa | February 3 |
12.2
|
1 |
| New Hampshire | February 11 |
19.7
|
6 |
| Nevada | February 22 |
7.3
|
0 |
| South Carolina | February 29 |
3.1
|
0 |
| Arkansas | March 3 |
3.1
|
0 |
| California | March 3 |
2.2
|
0 |
| Maine | March 3 |
1.4
|
0 |
| Massachusetts | March 3 |
1.2
|
0 |
| Minnesota | March 3 |
5.6
|
0 |
| North Carolina | March 3 |
2.3
|
0 |
| Oklahoma | March 3 |
2.2
|
0 |
| Tennessee | March 3 |
2.1
|
0 |
| Texas | March 3 |
2.1
|
0 |
| Utah | March 3 |
3.4
|
0 |
| Vermont | March 3 |
1.3
|
0 |
| Virginia | March 3 |
0.6
|
0 |
| Alabama | March 3 |
0.2
|
0 |
| Idaho | March 10 |
0.7
|
0 |
| Michigan | March 10 |
0.7
|
0 |
| Mississippi | March 10 |
0.2
|
0 |
| Missouri | March 10 |
0.4
|
0 |
| North Dakota | March 10 |
1.5
|
0 |
| Washington | March 10 |
2.1
|
0 |
| Democrats Abroad | March 10 |
0.6
|
0 |
| Florida | March 17 |
1.0
|
0 |
| Wisconsin | April 7 |
0.7
|
0 |
| Ohio | April 28 |
1.3
|
0 |
| Indiana | June 2 |
0.8
|
0 |
| Maryland | June 2 |
0.5
|
0 |
| Georgia | June 9 |
0.4
|
0 |
| West Virginia | June 9 |
1.6
|
0 |
| Kentucky | June 23 |
1.0
|
0 |
| New York | June 23 |
0.8
|
0 |
| Louisiana | July 11 |
0.9
|
0 |
| Puerto Rico | July 12 |
0.5
|
0 |
| Total pledged delegates: 7 |
Incumbent Amy Klobuchar defeated Jim Newberger, Dennis Schuller, and Paula Overby in the general election for U.S. Senate Minnesota on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Amy Klobuchar (D) |
60.3
|
1,566,174 |
|
|
Jim Newberger (R) |
36.2
|
940,437 | |
|
|
Dennis Schuller (Legal Marijuana Now Party) |
2.6
|
66,236 | |
|
|
Paula Overby (G) |
0.9
|
23,101 | |
| Other/Write-in votes |
0.0
|
931 | ||
| Total votes: 2,596,879 (100.00% precincts reporting) |
||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
Incumbent Amy Klobuchar defeated Steve Carlson, Stephen Emery, David Robert Groves, and Leonard Richards in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota on August 14, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Amy Klobuchar |
95.7
|
557,306 |
|
|
Steve Carlson |
1.7
|
9,934 | |
|
|
Stephen Emery |
1.2
|
7,047 | |
|
|
David Robert Groves |
0.8
|
4,511 | |
|
|
Leonard Richards |
0.6
|
3,552 | |
| Total votes: 582,350 | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
Jim Newberger defeated Merrill Anderson, Rae Hart Anderson, and Roque De La Fuente in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota on August 14, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Jim Newberger |
69.5
|
201,531 |
|
|
Merrill Anderson |
15.7
|
45,492 | |
|
|
Rae Hart Anderson |
8.9
|
25,883 | |
|
|
Roque De La Fuente |
5.9
|
17,051 | |
| Total votes: 289,957 | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
Klobuchar ran for re-election in 2012.[70] She defeated Jack Shepard, Darryl Stanton and Dick Franson in the Democratic primary. She defeated Republican Kurt Bills, Independence Party candidate Stephen Williams, candidate Timothy Davis, and Minnesota Open Progressives candidate Michael Cavlan in the November general election.[71]
| U.S. Senate, Minnesota General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | 65.2% | 1,854,595 | ||
| Republican | Kurt Bills | 30.5% | 867,974 | |
| Independence | Stephen Williams | 2.6% | 73,539 | |
| Grassroots | Tim Davis | 1.1% | 30,531 | |
| Progressive | Michael Cavlan | 0.5% | 13,986 | |
| Total Votes | 2,843,207 | |||
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" (dead link) | ||||
To view the full congressional electoral history for Amy Klobuchar, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2006 On November 7, 2006, Klobuchar won election to the United States Senate. She defeated Mark R. Kennedy (R), Robert Fitzgerald, (I), Michael James Cavlan (G), and Ben Powers (C) in the general election.[72]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Klobuchar ran for president of the United States in 2020. After she withdrew, Klobuchar endorsed Joe Biden (D) in the 2020 presidential election.[73]
Klobuchar endorsed Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election.[74]
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
| Amy Klobuchar campaign contribution history | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions |
| 2018 | U.S. Senate Minnesota | ✔ | $13,007,187 |
| 2012 | U.S. Senate (Minnesota) | ✔ | $10,203,513 |
| 2006 | U.S. Senate (Minnesota) | ✔ | $9,202,052 |
| Grand total raised | $32,412,752 | ||
|
Source: Follow the Money |
|||
| U.S. Senate Minnesota 2018 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top industry contributors to Amy Klobuchar's campaign in 2018 | |
| Finance, Insurance & Real Estate | $815,605.66 |
| Lawyers & Lobbyists | $672,918.32 |
| General Business | $593,184.58 |
| Communications & Electronics | $448,846.78 |
| Agriculture | $393,425.00 |
| Total Raised in 2018 | $13,007,187.47 |
| Source: Follow the Money | |
| U.S. Senate Minnesota 2018 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top individual contributors to Amy Klobuchar's campaign in 2018 | |
| LERNER, SUZANNE L | $23,250.00 |
| Total Raised in 2018 | $13,007,187.47 |
| Source: Follow the Money | |
Klobuchar won the U.S. Senate election in 2012. During that election cycle, Klobuchar's campaign committee raised a total of $10,203,513 and spent $8,532,377.[75]
Klobuchar spent $4.60 per vote received in 2012.
| United States Senate, 2012 - Amy Klobuchar Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $10,203,513 |
| Total Spent | $8,532,377 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $953,146 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $955,342 |
| Top contributors to Amy Klobuchar's campaign committee | |
| Dorsey & Whitney | $61,850 |
| Target Corp | $56,050 |
| US Bancorp | $51,889 |
| General Mills | $51,650 |
| Robins, Kaplan et al | $49,650 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $1,044,812 |
| Retired | $504,878 |
| Leadership PACs | $319,150 |
| Lobbyists | $298,430 |
| Securities & Investment | $286,533 |
To view the breakdown of campaign funding by type click [show] to expand the section. | |
|---|---|
|
Breakdown of the source of Klobuchar's campaign funds before the 2008 election. | |
Klobuchar won election to the U.S. Senate in 2006. During that election cycle, Klobuchar's campaign committee raised a total of $9,202,052 and spent $9,095,671.[76]
The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Klobuchar's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $400,028 and $1,225,000. That averages to $812,514, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic senators in 2012 of $13,566,333. Klobuchar ranked as the 69th most wealthy senator in 2012.[77] Between 2006 and 2012, Klobuchar's calculated net worth[78] decreased by an average of 3 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[79]
| Amy Klobuchar Yearly Net Worth | |
|---|---|
| Year | Average Net Worth |
| 2006 | $979,445 |
| 2012 | $812,514 |
| Growth from 2006 to 2012: | -17% |
| Average annual growth: | -3%[80] |
| Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[81] | |
Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Klobuchar received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.
From 2005-2014, 26.67 percent of Klobuchar's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.[82]
| Amy Klobuchar Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $20,012,859 |
| Total Spent | $18,528,952 |
| Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $2,026,784 |
| Retired | $1,201,633 |
| Women's Issues | $1,017,489 |
| Leadership PACs | $585,950 |
| Securities & Investment | $505,358 |
| % total in top industry | 10.13% |
| % total in top two industries | 16.13% |
| % total in top five industries | 26.67% |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Klobuchar was a moderate Democratic leader as of July 2014.[83] Klobuchar was rated as a "rank-and-file Democrat" in June 2013.
The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[84]
|
As of September 2015, Klobuchar most often voted with:
|
As of September 2015, Klobuchar least often voted with:
|
According to the website GovTrack, Klobuchar missed 21 of 2,765 roll call votes from January 2007 to September 2015. This amounts to 0.8 percent, which is better than the median of 1.6 percent among current senators as of September 2015.[85]
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Klobuchar paid her congressional staff a total of $2,404,347 in 2011. She ranked 7th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic senatorial staff salaries and ranked 30th overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Minnesota ranked 46th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[86]
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.
Klobuchar ranked 29th in the liberal rankings in 2013.[87]
Klobuchar ranked 34th in the liberal rankings in 2012.[88]
Klobuchar ranked 34th in the liberal rankings in 2011.[89]
The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.
Klobuchar voted with the Democratic Party 96.2 percent of the time, which ranked 19th among the 53 Senate Democratic members as of July 2014.[90]
Klobuchar voted with the Democratic Party 95.5 percent of the time, which ranked 24th among the 52 Senate Democratic members as of June 2013.[91]
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Klobuchar is married to John Bessler. They have a daughter named Abigail.[92]
|
Candidate President of the United States |
Officeholder U.S. Senate Minnesota |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mark Dayton |
U.S. Senate - Minnesota 2007-Present |
Succeeded by - |
State of Minnesota St. Paul (capital) | |
|---|---|
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Categories: [Current member, U.S. Senate] [U.S. Senate, Minnesota] [Democratic Party] [112th Congress] [113th Congress] [114th Congress] [115th Congress] [116th Congress] [Minnesota] [DNC delegates Minnesota, 2016] [DNC superdelegates, 2016] [DNC Clinton delegates, 2016] [Former marquee presidential candidate, 2020]
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