It’s like a sequel of the 1989 hit film “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” Except today we moan, “Honey, I Shrunk the Field of 2020 Democratic Candidates.” From the initial 24 wannabes to the five survivors who will take the stage Jan. 14 in Des Moines, Iowa, for the next debate: former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
Today, 28 days before the Iowa caucuses, nobody knows who the Democratic nominee will be. It won’t be Cory Booker, Marianne Williamson, Tom Steyer, Andrew Yang or Tulsi Gabbard. It won’t be outlier Michael Bloomberg, either. It’s a safe bet it’ll be one of the final five — which has everybody guessing.
Most political strategists agree on one of three scenarios. One, despite uneasiness about his performance on the stump, voters stick with Biden as the most trusted, experienced, steady contrast with President Trump. Two, voters still looking for a middle-of-the-road nominee but unsure about Biden flock to Buttigieg. Three, Democrats shuck tired, old, centrist, establishment politics for a daring, bold, new, progressive revolution led by Sanders or Warren. Most likely Sanders.
Any one of those scenarios could happen. Each of the above have enjoyed their moment at the top of the pack. But there’s a fourth possibility nobody’s talking about: None of the above. Instead, Democratic voters turn to the candidate who’s excelled in the last few debates and, against the odds, has maintained a strong, steady, top-tier position in the primary ever since she launched her campaign, outside, in the middle of a blizzard. Why not Amy?
Given that the primary motive of voters in the Democratic primary is not the idealistic measure “Which one do I like the most?” but the more pragmatic “Which one has the best chance of beating Donald Trump?” Sen. Amy Klobuchar has a lot going for her. She’s smart. She’s funny. She’s a former prosecutor. She’s from flyover country. She’s been elected three times, statewide, in Minnesota, a must-win state for Democrats, the last time by a 24-point margin. She’s built an impressive 14-year record in the U.S. Senate. She raised $11.4 million in fourth quarter 2019. And she’s a woman.
Yes, Klobuchar lacks the foreign policy experience of Joe Biden, but she holds the electoral and legislative experience, as she delights in pointing out, that makes fellow-centrist Buttigieg look like a Cub Scout. And she personifies a realistic, down-home, reach-across-the-aisle, let’s-get-things-done approach to problem-solving that makes Warren look like a brick wall.
As a presidential candidate, Klobuchar has at least two more things going for her. One, she’s quick on her feet. Most political reporters I interviewed believe that, even though called on less often than the front-runners, she won the last two debates. She deflated both Sanders and Warren by pointing out that she knew how to be both “progressive,” and “practical,” at the same time. And she dismissed Buttigieg as a “local official,” who couldn’t get elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee and didn’t even belong on the same stage as those with a combined “100 years of experience.”
Unlike other candidates, Klobuchar also has a wicked sense of humor. Former President Obama once said she was even funnier than Minnesota’s then-junior senator, “Saturday Night Live” comic Al Franken. Even though we’ve heard it 25 times, it’s still funny to hear her tell how, as a first-time candidate, she raised $17,000 by cold-calling former boyfriends.
Please. This is not an endorsement. This is simply to say: In handicapping the Democratic primary, don’t forget about Amy Klobuchar.
Press is host of “The Bill Press Pod.” He is author of “From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.”