Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., on Sunday said that the Democratic Party would have been “better served by a primary” in 2024 as she reflected on former President Joe Biden’s suspending his re-election campaign last year and endorsing then-Vice President Kamala Harris just months before the election.
“You know, everything we look at in a rearview mirror after you lose an election. Yes, we would have been served better by a primary. But we are where we are,” Klobuchar told NBC News’ “Meet the Press.
She emphasized that, “I’m not interested in going backwards in time. I’m interested in going forward,” and said that she was focused on “helping the American people” under a Trump administration.
Klobuchar also faced questions about whether Harris’ loss to Trump was a sign that women can’t win presidential elections.
“I hope not,” Klobuchar told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker when asked whether the 2024 election means Democrats shouldn’t nominate a woman for president.
The Minnesota senator pointed out that women have successfully led other large nations, adding, “And you’ve also seen women in the U.S., incredible mayors, incredible governors. I look in the Senate — for Democrats in the last election, three of the four races where we beat the presidential ticket were women running. In Michigan, women running, in Nevada, women running; in Wisconsin.”
Klobuchar added that “I know it’s not easy running as a woman. If it was, we could play the game ‘Pick your favorite woman president.’”
The Minnesota Senator also dodged a question about whether she’d run for president again, simply telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” when asked if she’d rule out another presidential campaign that she’s focused on her current job.
“I am focused on my job right now. I’m third in leadership in the Senate, and we have a lot to do, and that means making sure people have got their Medicaid, their Social Security, and taking on these Trump tariffs that are hurting the American people and our economy,” Klobuchar told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker when asked whether she’d rule out running for president.
“I want a better America, and I just don’t think that’s how we’re going to get there with this president,” the Minnesota senator added.
She ran for president the first time in 2020, competing against over a dozen other Democrats for the party’s presidential nomination, but dropped out in March, ahead of Super Tuesday, the biggest election day on the primary calendar.
After dropping out, Klobuchar went on to endorse now-former President Joe Biden, who eventually won the Democratic nomination and the presidency.
If Klobuchar decided to run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, it’s possible she could face some of her former foes from the 2020 race, as other Democrats like former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., are also widely expected to compete for the nomination again in three years.
Other names often floated as possible contenders for the 2028 Democratic nomination include Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich.; Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn.; Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif.; Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky.; Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Penn.; Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md.; Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.; and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
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