Presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar wants to make voting easy and keep it secure. She wants to kick big money out of politics and end gerrymandering and she especially wants to get a particular president out of the White House.
“I am running because I think we are so much better than this president,” she said Sunday during a town hall-style event in Denver where she discussed election security, voter suppression and campaign finance reform before a packed room of about 300 people at the IBEW Local 111.
The Minnesota senator emphasized her history of bipartisan work, discussed ways she hopes to bring the country together and answered questions from the audience during the hour-long event. Attendees filled all available chairs and much of the crowd stood shoulder-to-shoulder along the back and sides of the room.
Some in the audience found Klobuchar’s moderate stances appealing.
“Having a moderate candidate really expresses our beliefs,” said Brayan Marin, who attended with Leah Waxman, both of Denver. “We don’t think providing people everything for free is the way to go.”
Marin said that while he supports liberal ideas, he wants to see those ideas coupled with financial responsibility and he feels Klobuchar walks that line well.
Another in the crowd, Dale Cooper, of Denver, said he supports Klobuchar in part because her proposals haven’t been as far left as other Democratic candidates.
“Itap what she isn’t pushing for as much as what she is,” he said.
Klobuchar, who cracked well-received jokes at the expense of Colorado and the Broncos, was joined Sunday by Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. Both women emphasized the importance of election security and voter rights, and both declared that the country’s democratic system should be reformed to ensure the votes of ordinary people aren’t overwhelmed by what Klobuchar called “dark money.”
“We should be electing the best candidate, not the richest candidate,” Klobuchar said.
“The whole point of this democracy reform, the point of getting special interest money out, ending Citizens United, is to make sure that we set up a nation in which everyday people can succeed,” Griswold said.
She touted Colorado’s efforts to secure its elections and said she hopes the state can be a model for other states or even for the federal government.
Klobuchar called foreign governments meddling in U.S. elections a “security issue” that ought to surpass partisan lines.
“Russia did not use missiles, they did not use planes but what they used was a cyberattack,” she said, answering a question on how she’d secure Republican support for election security measures.
Klobuchar’s middle-of-the road approach convinced some in the crowd that she is capable of gaining the widespread, cross-country support needed to defeat President Donald Trump.
“She is the right person for our times,” said Patty Kopperl, of Denver. “She’s got the energy, the expertise, values and policy positions to unite our country in a way that is palatable to a lot of voters.”