Esme's Blog: Amy Klobuchar For President?
A little visit to Iowa by Sen. Amy Klobuchar has news outlets from CNN to ABC speculating she is considering a run for President of the United States. Klobuchar is brushing off the talk insisting she loves her current job. But the buzz is not likely to subside. Emily's List has her on their list of potential candidates.
The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza has her ranked No. 8 out of 10 of the politicians most likely to earn the Democratic nomination in 2016. Cillizza, author of the highly regarded "The Fix" blog ranks Hilary Clinton first, followed by Joe Biden and then New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
If this all seems ludicrously early for such speculation, consider that total fundraising and spending in the 2012 presidential election topped $2 billion. That's billion with a "b".
So what about Amy Klobuchar? Graced with an ability to appear to be both the mom you might run into at the PTA meeting and the smartest person in the room, even Minnesota Republicans acknowledge she is formidable.
In a recent interview, Minnesota Republican strategist Ben Golnik dismissed Sen. Al Franken as "no Amy Klobuchar." In a state that regularly elects Republicans to statewide office, Klobuchar not only won re-election by 34 percentage points, she won all but two of Minnesota's 87 counties.
It is a long way to the White House though, but the path does go through Iowa.
And in a nod to Sarah Palin, Klobuchar who is known for her wit, reminded Hawkeye audiences this weekend that she can see their state from her porch.
