Decision Desk HQ said about Amy Klobuchar, in Decision Desk HQ on October 28, 2026.
Decision Desk HQ was reviewing its polling averages and forecasts for the 2026 governor races.
Amy Klobuchar
Things People Say About Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar is a Democratic U.S. senator from Minnesota. She won the August 2026 DFL primary and was the DFL nominee for governor of Minnesota in 2026, facing Republican Lisa Demuth.
What People Say About Them
Andrew Menezes said about Amy Klobuchar, in Roll Call on October 14, 2026.
Roll Call was surveying states that could elect their first female governor.
Jim Geraghty said about Amy Klobuchar, in 3 Martini Lunch – Political Humor & Commentary on October 1, 2026.
Jim Geraghty of National Review on the 3 Martini Lunch podcast (October 1, 2026), discussing Minnesota's statewide races and the effect of the state's fraud scandals on Democratic candidates.
3 Martini Lunch – Political Humor & Commentary
Around 03:35 into the episode
Greg Corombos
Yeah.
Speaker 1
So a bit more seriously, I.
Jim Geraghty
Had said Michelle Tafoya was probably about the best candidate Republicans could hope for. She's well known, got high name ID, but not from traditional politics. And I would note that, like, look, you mentioned the Keith Ellison being in trouble. Unfortunately, in the governor's race, it looks like Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar is running well ahead of Republican Lisa Demuth. So one of the interesting things is that, you know, Amy Klobuchar, I mean, a Democrat, undoubtedly. But she can say, look, I've been in Washington. I didn't have anything to do with the decisions of the state government over the last four years. So in a very strange way, usually you're trying to run as an outsider in Senate race. In this strange one, Amy Klobuchar says, look, I am an outsider to the state capitol.
Speaker 1
I have nothing to do.
Jim Geraghty
With what's been going on lately and can be a little bit more the candidate of change. But I think the fact that Peggy Flanagan is running so much worse than Klobuchar is indicates that the fraud scandals have really damaged her. Obviously, Tim Walz was thinking about running for re-election, chose…
Greg Corombos
Yeah, no question about it. And so we hope that she continues to do well and we'll see if those poll numbers move in her favor even more. But neck and neck in Minnesota in a national environment like this is probably better than we could have hoped for. But now we'll be looking at what the…
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
S.H. Jacobs said about Amy Klobuchar, in Lightening Up on August 13, 2026.
From a critical opinion piece by S.H. Jacobs in the newsletter Lightening Up, published August 13, 2026, about Amy Klobuchar's run for Minnesota governor. This passage is about her record on rural broadband funding.
Jennifer Rubin said about Amy Klobuchar, in The Contrarian on August 13, 2026.
From Jennifer Rubin's August 13, 2026 column in The Contrarian, "Democrats' Big Tent Bodes Well for November," on the results of that week's primaries. Klobuchar had just won the DFL nomination for Minnesota governor.
Where to Find Them
Amy Klobuchar writes The Briefing with Jen Psaki , writes The Beat with Ari Melber and writes The Rachel Maddow Show . They have also been a guest on Ask a Pol ai (3 times) , Pivot (Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway) (3 times) , Decoder with Nilay Patel (2 times) , Essential Minnesota , The Exchange , POLITICO Tech , Economist Podcasts , Squawk Pod , This is Gavin Newsom , On with Kara Swisher and Big Technology .
Recently: “Amy Klobuchar on why she wants to be Minnesota’s next governor” on Essential Minnesota (October 2026); “Trump's spin machine fails to hide the ugly truth about war with Iran” on The Briefing with Jen Psaki (July 2026); “Trump to Address Nation Amid Sinking Job Approval” on The Beat with Ari Melber (February 2026); “Jared Kushner emerges as focus of intel whistleblower complaint about Gabbard” on The Briefing with Jen Psaki (February 2026); “Maddow: Trump in retreat as disastrous anti-immigrant campaign becomes political catastrophe” on The Rachel Maddow Show (January 2026); “VIDEO ANALYSIS: Jen Psaki breaks down multiple video angles of ICE killing Minneapolis mom” on The Briefing with Jen Psaki (January 2026).
What They Said
Sen. Amy Klobuchar on the This is Gavin Newsom podcast in May 2025, describing the Take It Down Act she co-sponsored with Sen. Ted Cruz, which President Trump had signed the day before.
This is Gavin Newsom
Around 00:56 into the episode
Gavin Newsom
…of status, but you're often not necessarily affirmed that there's a lot of progress being made, but you are able to lay claim to a lot of progress, including just yesterday, President Trump signed a bill to Take it Down Act, a bipartisan bill that you and Ted CRU's co sponsor tell me more about it.
Amy Klobuchar
So this came out of which I know you're familiar with all this, but just what's going on in the internet right now where there's no rules and you've got a non consensual and AI created porn and one year, this is FBI stats, or over twenty suicides of kids they are courting a girlfriend or a boyfriend. They send a photo and then that photo goes all over their schools or there's some kind of threat or you know, asking for money, and they think their life is over and they actually take their own lives. So Center Cruise and I he is the chair of the Commerce Committee right now, we joined forces and introduced this bill called the Take It Down Act. It simply says the platforms have to take down these images non consential images in forty eight hours and then creates criminal liability on the people that put them on or extends criminal liability. So we got that through the Senate, but then we were stopped at the end of the year. It was part of a bigger bill. And at the inaugural lunch, as you're aware of, Governor, I cheered the…
Gavin Newsom
So I love that, I mean. And so a couple of things just to reflect on. And I want to go back to the inaugural because people were I think a lot of folks wondering why is Senator Klobahark kicking off the inaugural festivities? And we'll talk about your unique role in that respect, but how about just…
Amy Klobuchar
I mean?
Gavin Newsom
What?
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar on the This is Gavin Newsom podcast in May 2025, criticizing President Trump's across-the-board tariffs and their effect on small businesses.
This is Gavin Newsom
Around 15:58 into the episode
Amy Klobuchar
…major major partners for US, yes, in the economy, but also in security. So the effect small business owner a place called busy Baby. My husband thought it was a lazy baby. I know it's busy Baby. Busy Baby she started this Entrepreneur of the Year honored by Trump's Small Business Administration.
Gavin Newsom
Can't make it up, and she can't.
Amy Klobuchar
Do her business with these tariffs. Doesn't have the phone number of the White House. She's not like a major CEO that can vaultz in there and say, hey, can we get exception for our products? More power to them, okay, but she doesn't have ability. She's not invited by the Treasury Secretary to JP Morgan to go into the meeting in New York City. She doesn't know what's going to happen. So it also creates an inequity in the economy where these small businesses that have been just incredibly important to the next big development. I look in Minnesota, Target started as a dry goods store, and you know three Am started up in the slow place in Duluth. I mean, these companies start small lot of the time, and then the small we're just messing around without capitalism is what he's doing. He's trying to do like a controlled economy from the White House instead of allowing capitalism to unleash the kind of new ideas that we've seen.
Gavin Newsom
And Centator, you know what's most insidious. And I love that you brought her up. We had the opportunity to visit with her on the podcast and she talked about how she was inspired by her by her newborn and now she has to look them in the eye and say, honey, we may not only lose the business, we may…
Amy Klobuchar
It's like their roadkill in this thing, because the bigger companies I'm also concerned about. Honestly, they're a big part of our economy. We have in Minnesota, like fifteen sixteen Fortune five hundred companies, and a lot of them do work overseas, and a lot of ad companies and the like. But…
Gavin Newsom
No, I appreciate that. I mean, it's been said over and over again of headlines and the economists headlines and the Wall Street Journal, the envy of the world, the United States of America's economy, despite inflation, was beginning to cool, the economic output, growth, productivity, unemployment…
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar on the This is Gavin Newsom podcast in May 2025, asked what Democrats should be doing differently to rebuild the party's standing.
This is Gavin Newsom
Around 40:24 into the episode
Amy Klobuchar
…you're voted too. But the point is is that Trump, we still could go in the right direction, but he's got to stop this assault on the things that are literally the innovation that's key to America's economy. We want to be a country that makes up, invents things and exports to the World Center.
Gavin Newsom
…the spectrum of reflecting on where our party is, where was, where we are today, and where we're going, and just sort of three or four things that you think we should be doing more of right now in order to get back where I think the American people, the majority of them, I believe, want us to be.
Amy Klobuchar
Yeah, I think we can't be stuck in the status quo of the past. And just because Trump is going on this all out assault doesn't mean that our answer is no, we like everything the way it was. That's not where the American people are. That's not where we should be. So that's the first thing, in addition to focusing on the economic mistakes he's making and the assault on people's basically their right to pursue opportunities by making it harder and harder for them and small businesses. We have got to have our own agenda. That's first thing. The second thing is we shouldn't just go where it's comfortable. We should go where it's uncomfortable. You know, I…
Gavin Newsom
Say your little town hall. I love it.
Amy Klobuchar
Oh yeah, people have. Well.
Gavin Newsom
Wish you all the luck in this remarkable moment. But I'm grateful you took these moments to share your thoughts, your wisdom, your insight, and congratulations again on getting that bill to the President's desk and sign, and thank you for all you actually all you do for all of us every single day…
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar on the This is Gavin Newsom podcast in May 2025, asked about bipartisanship after the Take It Down Act, which she co-sponsored with Sen. Ted Cruz, was signed into law.
This is Gavin Newsom
Around 06:35 into the episode
Amy Klobuchar
What? What?
Gavin Newsom
What's your sense is there was there incentives for good behavior? Have you gotten criticized for working on the other side?
Amy Klobuchar
I think, first of all, I've always believed in working with people you don't always agree with. That courage isn't just standing by yourself courages whether you're going to stand next to someone you don't always agree with for the betterment of this country. And I have done that in the Senate, working with everyone from Josh Holly on antitrust issues to Chuck Grassly on biofuels. I mean, you could just go on. And however, I do think the president of this incident aside where we were able to work on this bill with him when the rhetoric and the things that are said makes it harder to function and bipartisan because he will go after people if they don't do exactly what he wants, and it's all part of how he's doing this. So you know, in this case, I guess we got an exception. They like this bill, but I do think it makes it harder. And my goal in life is to do what best for the country, And as you know, sometimes you take grief when you work with people or take positions that not everyone agrees with. But I do think that we need more of that, not less of it when it comes to governing right now. So I'm glad the bill got passed into law. I continue to…
Gavin Newsom
Love all that, and I want to touch on all those things. But let me go back just a little bit to the origin story on how you were able to sort of smooth this bill over. I love that you said it was that a lunch and it was just engaging on the personal where the first lady actually followed up took…
Amy Klobuchar
Reveal it all and your podcasts have to save some of it. But you know, it started out in the White House and I with everyone with the president at the time, President Biden and Vice President Harris, and then of course the Vances and the Trumps, the speaker of the House, Center Schumer, you name…
Gavin Newsom
I love that. And look, you talk about this notion of co equal branches, the government, popular sovereignty, the rule of law, the best of Roman republic and Greek democracy and founding fathers vision being tested, the rule of law, this notion of the constitutional crisis that some have attached at…
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.