Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the Democratic presidential race earlier today and promptly endorsed former rival Joe Biden.
Klobuchar's exit comes less than 24 hours after that of Pete Buttigieg who also endorsed Biden. They will appear alongside Biden at a rally tonight in Dallas, Texas. The question is whether Biden can keep Klobuchar from throwing her phone at Buttigieg.
Klobuchar was never really a serious contender. Her campaign got off to a rocky start amid reports of her abuse of her legislative staff. Last month, however, she had a strong debate performance four days before the New Hampshire Primary. It was good enough for a third place finish in the Granite State ahead of both Elizabeth Warren and Biden, the man she is now endorsing. Politics is a funny thing. You know your campaign is in trouble when Black Lives Matter forces you to cancel a rally in your home state which they did only yesterday.
I'm sure Klobuchar's internal numbers in Minnesota showed her losing big time to Bernie Sanders. Otherwise why would she drop out now? If Klobuchar was certain of victory in Minnesota she could leave the race with one victory under her belt.
Endorsing Biden now could put her on the VP shortlist if Biden bests Bernie. Although I think Biden will more likely pick an African-American woman like Stacey Abrams or even Kamala Harris than Klobuchar. On the other hand, I can see Bernie giving Klobuchar some consideration as a potential running mate. They demonstrated a relatively amicable relationship on the debate stage even when trading the occasional barb. But methinks Bernie would be more likely to pick someone more out there like Tulsi Gabbard.
Unless a Democratic President picks her as Secretary of Agriculture or Secretary of Energy, it is most likely that Klobuchar will spend the remainder of her professional career in the Senate making life miserable for her staffers.
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