HANOVER, N.H. — Amy Klobuchar praised the Democratic National Committee’s new debate format Sunday, a rare compliment as other presidential candidates criticize reforms the party introduced to handle the historically large 2020 primary field.
“I think it’s going to be really interesting because you have so many people and it’s the luck of the draw which night you’re going to be, who you’re going to be standing next to. And I’m glad there’s actually two sets of them because otherwise it’s a little bit of serendipity about what questions we’re going to get,” the third-term senator for Minnesota told reporters at Dartmouth College.
Klobuchar denied being frustrated by the DNC’s slow release of details.
“No, it’s fine. We have a lot going on here,” she said. “We just keep moving and going, and I think the best debate prep right now is just getting out there with people, and getting the hard questions, and answering them.”
[Related: DNC spurns Fox News for chance to hold 2020 presidential debate]
With about two dozen candidates vying for the right to challenge President Trump in 2020, the DNC this year rolled out fundraising and polling targets White House hopefuls must reach to take part in the debates. Presidential prospects need to attract 65,000 unique donors, with a minimum of 200 donors per state in at least 20 states. Contenders must also register 1% or more support in three polls. Klobuchar has satisfied both criteria. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York complained to CNN last week about the standards as she has yet to cross the donor threshold. The first debate, which has capped the number of participants at 20, will be in Miami June 26 and June 27. The second event will be in Detroit July 30 and July 31.
Klobuchar’s last appearance of her two-day swing of the early-voting state was hosted by Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and focused on her proposals for a “changing economy.” The Yale-educated former prosecutor, who touts her working-class background on the campaign trail, qualified her defense of capitalism by advocating more “shared prosperity.”
“Well, right now it is working well for a certain group of people, that is for sure,” she said about the American economy. “And I think our challenge is making sure it works for everyone, while keeping our capitalist system.”
[Also read: Marianne Williamson meets donor threshold for Democratic presidential debates]
