CAMPAIGN 2020 Klobuchar woos voters in every corner of Iowa
HUMBOLDT, Iowa — To Amy Klobuchar, her justcompleted tour of all 99 Iowa counties proves a point: As president, she would go everywhere and represent everyone, even in the heart of Trump country.
That’s “part of my way of being,” the Minnesota senator told Iowans at a rural restaurant in Humboldt County — the final stop of her tour and a place that, like much of the leadoff caucus state, overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in 2016. “I believe that we need someone as president who’s going to be the president for not half of America but all of America.”
Klobuchar is hoping to capitalize on caucus rules that can reward candidates who leave Democraticheavy areas and large rallies to meet smaller groups in less populated counties. In those places, personal connections can be made over coffee or, as happened this month, over hot chocolate and convenience store breakfast pizza aboard Klobuchar’s campaign bus.
Those connections can translate into votes on caucus night, though going everywhere is no guarantee of success. Republican Rick Santorum campaigned in all 99 counties — known as the “full Grassley” after Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley — for the 2016 election and finished close to last in the Iowa caucuses.
Klobuchar started ticking off counties days after her February campaign launch and picked up the pace in recent weeks, her days on the bus sometimes going from before sunrise to close to midnight.
The stakes are particularly high as Klobuchar tries to catch the four top candidates — Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — before the Feb. 3 caucuses in a state where she’s invested most of her campaign.
Klobuchar hopes her Midwestern background, years of campaigning for fellow Iowa Democrats and endorsements from local elected officials will give her a boost in a state where having seasoned caucusgoers and respected leaders as advocates can make a difference.
Held on a Monday night, the caucuses consist of 1,679 precinct meetings where voters must declare their preferred candidate. To have their votes counted toward delegates, a candidate must reach a viability threshold of 15% support in each precinct.
After the first vote, supporters of any candidate not deemed viable may move to another candidate. That tests the ability of viable candidates’ supporters to sway their neighbors to join their side.