FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn — Sen. Amy Klobuchar took a break from the hectic pace of the presidential sweepstakes to make a stop at her home state's biggest gathering, the Minnesota State Fair.
Minnesota's senior senator drew big crowds at every stop, making stump speeches, shaking hands and posing for pics with constituents.
"It is fun to be home on a beautiful day at the State Fair, and yet you see people asking the same questions you hear in Iowa, New Hampshire, Arkansas -- people are tired of the division, they want to see someone who can bring people together in the White House," Sen. Klobuchar told KARE.
Her visit, two days before Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders visits the fair, guarantees she's the first presidential candidate to go there this year. What's Klobuchar's advice for Bernie?
"Eat a cheese curd! He likes dairy, he's from a dairy state."
Klobuchar is still polling in the single digits in key early primary states, but said she's heartened by the fact that she has drawn enough support and raised enough money to quality for the next two presidential debates.
"I mean I made the playoffs. I’m in the top nine, ahead of all the governors and the mayor of New York City, and once you’re in that top group people have a better opportunity to hear me across the country and get to know me."
She noted that the crowded field of Democratic presidential hopefuls includes people from larger states and more exposure from previous runs for the White House.
Klobuchar pushed back against the idea the state Republican Party's prediction that President Trump could capture Minnesota in 2020, which hasn't gone in the GOP column since 1972.
"He has brought chaos to almost everything that’s come before him, and right now he’s in a fight with Denmark. How can you do that?" Klobuchar remarked.
"He’s always going after people that disagree with him, people of color, immigrants and that's just not how I ran my campaign, it’s not how I’ve governed and it’s not how I’ll be as president."
