Hoping to bounce back from a disappointing finish in the Nevada caucuses and with an eye toward Arkansas' March 3 Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota addressed supporters in North Little Rock on Sunday.
"If you are tired of the extremes in our politics and the noise and the nonsense, you have a home with me," Klobuchar said. "And if you actually believe in getting things done for our country and moving on these major economic challenges that we have in front of us, you have a home with me."
Arkansas knows a little bit about electing presidents, she added to applause.
The three-term senator greeted a crowd in the Maumelle Event Center, which a campaign aide later estimated at 1,100 people.
Klobuchar, who was making her second campaign visit to the state, touted her bipartisan accomplishments in the Senate, while taking swipes at the more liberal policy agenda of her progressive rivals in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. She repeatedly mentioned Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a self-described democratic socialist who also happens to be leading in many polls.
"It is not because I don't like Bernie. It is because I think that the stakes are so high in this race that we have to have someone on the head of this ticket that can bring people with her instead of shutting them out," Klobuchar said. "And I believe that we cannot out-divide the divider-in-chief, as in [President] Donald Trump."
She contrasted her health care plan with Sanders' Medicare-for-all plan, warning that a centerpiece of his platform would kick Americans off their private health insurance.
"Instead, I think we should bring down premiums with a nonprofit public option," Klobuchar said. "That is exactly what Barack Obama wanted to do from the very beginning."
In spite of a surprising third-place finish in New Hampshire's Feb. 11 primary, Klobuchar has struggled to emerge from a crowded lane of moderate Democrats. The latest results from Saturday's Nevada caucuses show Klobuchar in fifth place, trailing Sanders, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren.
In another allusion to former President Bill Clinton and his slow start in the 1992 campaign, Klobuchar told the crowd, "You also happen to know that maybe you can have someone win the nomination process that's doing OK, but doesn't win the first few contests."
Arkansas voters go to the polls March 3, the all-important date in the nominating contest known as Super Tuesday, along with 13 other states. Klobuchar and other contenders must hope to receive more than 15% of the Arkansas vote in order to win a share of the state's 31 Democratic delegates. The state also has five super-delegates, whose votes are not tied to primary results.
Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, led a recent poll of nearly 500 likely Democratic primary voters in Arkansas with 19.6% support, closely followed by former Vice President Joe Biden. Klobuchar was a distant fifth. The poll was conducted Feb. 6-7 by Talk Business and Politics and Hendrix College.
Karla Fournier, a 62-year-old retired teacher from Little Rock, praised Klobuchar's demeanor on the debate stage and the way she "stays calm." Fournier's husband, 51-year-old Michael Underwood, said he was leaning toward Sanders. "My mind's kind of made up," he said, but added that Klobuchar could be a possible vice presidential pick for Sanders.
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Robert Holt and Paula Keith, a married couple from North Little Rock, were at the rally to support Klobuchar and said they planned to vote for her on or before March 3.
Holt said he hopes Klobuchar can bring the Democratic Party together and referenced her ability to work across the aisle. "I think just being from the Midwest and having Midwestern values is something we can support," Holt said.
Eric Valderrama, a 39-year-old I.T. consultant who lives in Maumelle, said he hasn't made up his mind about who he's going to support on Super Tuesday. He said his preference is probably Warren of Massachusetts, but he likes Klobuchar and Sanders, too.
Valderrama was unsure what Klobuchar could do to break out of the pack of remaining Democratic candidates, comparing it to riding a wave while surfing.
"I don't know what you can do. You've got to come out and be more progressive," Valderrama said before the rally. "I like Warren where she says things like getting rid of the filibuster system -- really progressive policies, right?" Valderrama said. "That's what I'm looking for."
Metro on 02/24/2020