Amy Klobuchar emerges as dark horse
Good thing Amy Klobuchar didn’t listen to anyone who told her that her campaign wasn’t going anywhere. People have been saying that just about from the start. She was widely seen as an also-ran candidate when she first entered the race. Affable and respected, sure, but not a contender. But something happened along the way: she just kept failing to fail.
Amy Klobuchar has quietly put in one solid debate performance after another. She’s never been anywhere near the top of the polls, but she’s managed to outlast candidates like Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, and Julian Castro, all of whom were generally expected to be in some form of contention.
If Friday night’s Democratic primary debate wasn’t quite her coming out party, it certainly raised the profile of her candidacy. Because she’s managed to survive this long, the shrinking field now works in her advantage. All these people who have been dropping out have had some support, and it’s got to shift somewhere.
Of course all presidential candidacies end up running into the brick wall known as Super Tuesday, and very few candidacies end up being strong enough to smash through it. But the longer Amy Klobuchar keeps putting in strong performances, keeps finding a way to remain in the race and on the debate stage, and keeps failing to fail, the better her odds get.
