Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, said Sunday she was not “born to run” for president, unlike what fellow 2020 candidate Beto O’Rourke said about himself, because she is a woman.
Klobuchar, appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” was asked to contrast the process of deciding to pursue the presidency with the approach of former Texas Rep. O’Rourke, who recently said he was “born to run.”
“I have a lot of respect for Beto,” Klobuchar said. “And it’s great to have some Texas in this race. But no, I wasn’t born to run for office, just because growing up in the ’70s, in the middle of the country, I don’t think many people thought a girl could be president. I wasn’t born to run. But I am running.”
O’Rourke has faced criticism for the comment, which compounded what critics say represents his ignorance of benefiting from white male privilege.
At a recent campaign stop, he joked about “sometimes” helping his wife raise their three children.
O’Rourke apologized for the remark, which was attacked by those who argued female candidates couldn’t make similar comments about their parenting responsibilities.
