Stage set for Klobuchar's 'major announcement' in Minneapolis
Updated: Feb. 10, 7:25 a.m. | Posted: Feb. 9, Noon
The stage is set for U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's "major announcement" on Sunday at a public gathering at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis.
It's widely expected that Klobuchar will join the crowded field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates — a field that grew on Saturday as U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren officially launched her presidential bid in Massachusetts.
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In a statement issued ahead of Sunday's event, addressing her supporters, Klobuchar said:
"I'm asking you to join us on this campaign. It's a homegrown one. I don't have a political machine. I don't come from money. But what I do have is this: I have grit. I have family. I have friends. I have neighbors. I have all of you who are willing to come out in the middle of the winter, all of you who took the time to watch us today, all of you who are willing to stand up and say people matter."
Gates to Sunday's event at Boom Island will open to the public at 1 p.m.; the program is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. Temperatures are forecast to be in the upper teens, with a good chance for snow.
MPR News will have live coverage of the announcement when it happens, on the radio and online — including Facebook live video:
Tents were in place on Saturday to provide attendees a break from the cold and forecast snow on Sunday. Crews were constructing the stage and doing other work to prepare for the event.
Klobuchar, 58, started her third term in the U.S. Senate this year after winning more than 60 percent of the vote last November. She grew up in the western Twin Cities suburbs. Prior to going to Washington after winning her first term in 2006, she served as Hennepin County attorney.
• Related: What does Amy Klobuchar bring to the party?
• Earlier: Klobuchar expected to announce presidential run Sunday
Klobuchar is not as well-known as other Democratic 2020 candidates and potential candidates.
But her national profile got a major boost last fall during confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when she patiently questioned a combative Kavanaugh about his alcohol use. The exchange was even parodied on Saturday Night Live.
Last month, Klobuchar used the Democratic response to President Trump's weekly radio address to criticize the president for fomenting chaos with the government shutdown. She may also have provided a glimpse of the tone of her presidential campaign.
"We should be working together to pass major legislation to bring down prescription drug prices and health care costs for Americans, to make it easier to afford college and child care, to create incentives for clean green energy, to pass immigration reform, to train workers for the jobs we have today and could have tomorrow," she said.