Amy Klobuchar Is Surging, Will It Carry Over To New Hampshire?

Before Iowa, it looked as though the clear front runner in the Democratic nominee field would be former Vice President Joe Biden. Now that Iowa has come and gone – and New Hampshire is upon us this week – it’s evident that Biden is slipping while some of his peers are surging. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is currently one of those riding a rising wave of support, but will it last?

Following a solid showing at last Friday’s Democratic debate, Klobuchar has risen to third place in New Hampshire polling, passing both Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. As Biden’s campaign continues to flounder, moderate Democrats are searching for a candidate they can throw their support behind and that person might just be the senator from Minnesota.

On Sunday, Klobuchar boasted her largest crowd yet of 1,100 during a campaign stop in New Hampshire. Her campaign has also said it’s raised over $3 million since Friday. The senator believes she’s surging “because the people of New Hampshire watched that debate.”

The latest polling shows Klobuchar with 14 percent support in New Hampshire, just behind former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg with 19 percent and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is leading with 27 percent.

Klobuchar’s campaign has been characterized by its focus on winning over moderate Democrats and independents as well as Republicans unhappy with President Donald Trump. She’s also worked to contrast herself from the progressive candidates seeking the nomination – on Friday, she was the only debate participant to express concern that Sanders, a democratic socialist, had become the front runner.

Speaking with Reuters, Klobuchar explained how she plans to deal with Trump if she were to face him one-on-one.

“You have to have that ability to make a joke or poke at him or just show how absurd he is. Because he does use humor. A lot of people, including myself, just don’t always think it’s funny,” Klobuchar said.

Although Klobuchar is surging in New Hampshire, she is still trailing in national polling. Polling aggregator RealClearPolitics places her in sixth place nationally with 4.3 percent support, though that could be set to change if she performs well in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday.