The shakeup in the Democratic race for President continued on Monday, as Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) was poised to abandon her bid for the White House, and reportedly endorse former Vice President Joe Biden at an event in Texas this evening.
There were also reports that Pete Buttigieg would endorse Biden later today as well.
Klobuchar was the third Democratic candidate to end her campaign after a big victory on Saturday night in South Carolina by Biden, joining Tom Steyer and Buttigieg.
Klobuchar's decision came in the midst of a three state swing on the eve of Super Tuesday, as Klobuchar had held a morning campaign stop in Utah, and was later scheduled to go to Colorado and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Instead, she was ready to fly to Dallas to join Biden in one of his final Super Tuesday stops.
Klobuchar had performed much better than most Democrats had expected, as a strong debate performance just before the New Hampshire Primary gave her a late boost, as she finished a strong third behind Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg.
But Klobuchar was not able to harness that momentum, as she finished far back in both Nevada and South Carolina.
Klobuchar is currently in fifth place with 7 delegates, one behind Elizabeth Warren.
Klobuchar tried to offer herself as the alternate to Biden in the more moderate lane of the Democratic Party, often restricting her comments to jabs at President Donald Trump.
"This election is a decency check on this President," Klobuchar said in New Hampshire, where she went from small crowds to well over a 1,000 in just a day.
Political experts said the decisions by Steyer, Buttigieg and Klobuchar to abandon their bids before Super Tuesday should certainly help boost vote totals for Biden.
The moves by Klobuchar and Buttigieg were part of a broader tableau of endorsements all around the country for Biden, clearly designed to give the appearance of momentum for Super Tuesday.
“Democrats need a candidate who can assemble the largest, most diverse coalition possible to defeat Trump and lead our country following the trauma of Trump’s presidency,” said Harry Reid, the former Senate Majority Leader from Nevada. “That candidate is Joe Biden.”
About the Author
