AMY KLOBUCHAR
The senator and presidential hopeful on how she treats her staff and
charting her own course to the White House. By Rebecca Nelson
PERSPECTIVES
my Klobuchar announced her run for president last February while stand-
ing outside in the middle of a snowstorm. It was a badge of honor for the
third-term Minnesota senator and native of the state, a metaphor for her
midwestern common sense and effectiveness during one of the most un-
settling times in American political history.
A graduate of Yale and the University of Chicago Law School, Klobuchar served
as prosecutor for the most populous county in Minnesota before becoming the state’s
first elected female senator in 2006. Her ability to reach across the aisle to target the
opioid crisis, inflated prescription drug costs, and sexual harassment led Vanderbilt
University to hail her as the most effective Democratic senator last Congress. Mean-
while, her affable, folksy charm (she encourages constituents to call her Amy) makes
her one of the most popular politicians in office. That “Minnesota nice” image was
dented, however, by a series of news reports in February detailing her demanding
and sometimes humiliating behavior toward her staff.
Nevertheless, she’s betting her genial pragmatism and penchant for bipartisan-
ship—and her potential to pick up Midwest swing states that sealed President Trump’s
v ictor y in 2016 —w ill be just t he a nt idote needed to w in in 2020. In April, shor t ly a f ter
releasing her tax returns to the public, the heartland candidate spoke to ELLE about
what she’s really like as a boss, sexism in Con-
gress, and her unusual choice of eating utensils.
ELLE: What compelled you to go into politics?
AMY KLOBUCHAR: When our daughter was born,
she was unexpectedly very sick. She was being
fed with a tube in intensive care. Back then, in-
surance companies had a rule that [new moth-
ers] could only stay in the hospital for 24 hours.
I had been up all night, as had my husband, and
then they just kicked me out. As we nursed her
back to health, I started hearing about other
mothers who had had the same experience. So I
went to the legislature, not as an elected official,
but as a mom, and testified for one of the first
laws in the country guaranteeing new moms
and their babies a 48-hour hospital stay. I brought a bunch of pregnant friends. The
legislators asked, “When should this take effect?,” and all my friends raised their
hands and said, “Now.” They put it into law immediately.
ELLE: You also raised $17,000 from your ex-boyfriends to run for Senate. What were
those phone calls like?
AK: I mean, it wasn’t that many. [Laughs] One gave from him and his spouse. But I try
to keep good relations with people, even when things aren’t perfect. That’s what I’ve
done in the Senate. I try to find common ground with everyone I work with.
ELLE: Staffers have suggested that things aren’t so pleasant behind the scenes. What
would you say are your strengths and weaknesses as a manager?
AK: My strength is to get things done. We have gotten 34 bills signed into law while
President Trump has been in office. I know that I can be tough and push people too
hard; you can always improve, and I’ll do that. I have high expectations for myself
and my staff, and most of all, I have high expectations for the country.
ELLE: Do you think your managerial strategy has been held to a different standard
than that of your male peers?
AK: I find it interesting that we have really strong, incredible women running for pres-
ident who have had some criticisms along the same lines. Three of us have run major
offices, and when you are in these tough jobs, you have
to make tough decisions and deal with things in a way
that doesn’t always make everyone happy. We can get
some enemies here and there. But those are the kinds
of skills you have to have when you’re president. It’s not
a popularity contest every day.
ELLE: Electability seems more important than popular-
ity. What does being electable mean to you?
AK: Well, it’s pretty important! It maybe sounds dry, but
in the end, you want to win. A ton of women won con-
gressional seats across the country. A lot of that was peo-
ple who are authentic and have strong beliefs, and that’s
why we won. If you want to call it “electable,” I guess it is.
But it’s more about the fact that they could connect with
voters. People understood them and believed that they
would go to Wa sh ing ton to represent t heir const it uent s.
I think that all goes into whether or not you’re electable.
ELLE: Congress looks a lot different now than when you
started. What kind of sexism have you faced in your
career? Are there any moments that stand out?
AK: A memory I have is from when I’d been in the Senate
for a few months. I was on the elevator with two of my
staff members. The door opened, and a male senator
was standing outside. He said, “Excuse me, this ele-
vator is for senators only.” My staff member said, “She
is a senator.” And then I looked at him and asked, “But
who are you?” I knew exactly who he was. The elevator
door closed, and he never got on. He’s no longer there.
ELLE: Do you think Americans are ready for a female
president?
AK: Yes. The best example of that is all the women they
put in place in 2018, including several governor’s offices.
As I always like to say: May the best woman win.
ELLE: It was reported that you once ate a salad with a
comb after realizing you didn’t have a fork. Were you
surprised by how much press that generated?
AK: When you’re running for office, you’re gonna have all
kinds of stories come out—the good, the bad, the funny.
That’s just how it is. I have a sense of humor, and I do see
the humor in some of the craziness every day. Whether
it’s the president calling me Snowwoman [on Twitter] to
all the people running on the Democratic side. You just
have to stay grounded in the reason that you’re doing
it: for your neighbors and fellow Americans across the
country who want to see someone in office who’s going
to bridge the divide and work to get things done—which
is what I’ve done my whole life.
ELLE: And use whatever resources you have. Anything
else that works as a utensil in a pinch?
AK: I don’t know. I’ve been camping a lot, but we usually
pack our little camp gear.
A
THE ELLE WOMAN
“I HAVE A SENSE
OF HUMOR,
AND I DO SEE
THE HUMOR
IN SOME OF
THE CRAZINESS
EVERY DAY.”
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