Amy Klobuchar

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Amy Klobuchar
Image:AmyKlobuchar2006-05-29.JPG
Junior Senator-elect, Minnesota
Term of office: Term Begins January 2007
Political party:	Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Succeeding:	Mark Dayton
Born:	May 25, 1960 Plymouth, Minnesota
Spouse:	John Bessler
Religion:	Congregationalist

Amy Jean Klobuchar (born May 25, 1960 in Plymouth, Minnesota) is the county attorney of Hennepin County, Minnesota and the senator-elect in Minnesota (see 2006 Minnesota United States Senate election).

Klobuchar was first elected to county attorney in 1998 and re-elected in 2002 with no opposition. In 2001 she was selected "Attorney of the Year" by Minnesota Lawyer. Klobuchar was president of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association from November 2002 to November 2003. Besides working as a prosecutor, Klobuchar was a partner at one of Minnesota's top law firms, Dorsey & Whitney, where former Vice President Walter Mondale also works. In addition, Klobuchar was a partner at another top Minnesota law firm Gray Plant and Mooty before seeking public office.

Klobuchar received her bachelor's degree in political science magna cum laude from Yale University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School. Her senior thesis at Yale, later published as the book, Uncovering the Dome, was a 300 page history of the politics and issues surrounding the development of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. Klobuchar is married to attorney John Bessler and has a daughter, Abigail. They live in Minneapolis. Her father, Jim Klobuchar, is an author and retired columnist for the Star Tribune, the largest newspaper in Minnesota.

1 2006 Senate race
2 Committee Placement
3 Personal
4 Electoral history
5 References
6 External links

[edit] 2006 Senate race

Main article: Minnesota United States Senate election, 2006

Klobuchar was recognized early as a favorite for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nomination in 2006 for the U.S. Senate seat current held by Mark Dayton. Dayton announced in early 2005 that he would not seek re-election. Klobuchar won the DFL's endorsement on June 9, 2006.

Klobuchar gained the early endorsement of the majority of DFL state legislators in Minnesota during the primaries. A poll taken of DFL state delegates showed Klobuchar beating her then closest opponent, Patty Wetterling, 66% to 15%. Klobuchar was endorsed by EMILY's List on 29 September, 2005. On January 20, 2006, Wetterling dropped out of the race and endorsed Klobuchar. The only other serious candidate for the DFL endorsement was veterinarian Ford Bell, who dropped out of the race on July 10 and also endorsed Klobuchar. Former Senate candidate and prominent lawyer Mike Ciresi, who was widely seen as the only other serious potential DFL candidate, indicated on February 7, 2006 that he would not enter the race; that removal of her most significant potential competitor for the DFL nomination was viewed as an important boost for Klobuchar.<ref>The Friday Line: Can Democrats Get to 6? - The Fix Accessed October 2, 2006</ref>

In the general election, she faced Constitution candidate Ben Powers, Republican candidate Mark Kennedy, Independence Party candidate Robert Fitzgerald, and Green Party candidate Michael Cavlan. She won with 58% of the vote over Kennedy's 38% and the Independence Party's candidate Robert Fitzgerald at 3%, with 99% of precincts reporting.

With her win, she is the first elected female Senator from Minnesota (Muriel Humphrey, the first female Senator, was appointed to fill her husband's unexpired term, not elected). Klobuchar consistently led Kennedy throughout the campaign by single or double digits depending on the poll.<ref>Full list of poll results at Minnesota United States Senate election, 2006#Polling</ref>

[edit] Committee Placement

As of Nov. 14, 2006 Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) named Amy Klobuchar to the following committees:

This continues the practice of Minnesota having two spots on the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, taking Mark Dayton’s spot and joining her senior Senator Norm Coleman. This was to the delight of Klobuchar "The Ag Committee is something I told the people of the state was the committee I wanted to join, because the farm bill is up in 2007. So that's critically important to Minnesota." She also “said the Commerce Committee will give her a chance to focus on jobs, and the Environment and Public Works Committee will give her a perch to address energy issues and global warming.” Klobuchar stated she would “be 98th in Senate seniority, a ranking which affects everything from office space to committee assignments.”<ref>Frommer, Frederic J.. "Ellison skips White House reception to attend AFL-CIO meeting", McClatchy Company, Nov. 14, 2006. Retrieved on Nov. 16, 2006</ref>