Do we like Amy Klobuchar?
Our score: 6 out of 10. A decent record with one contested judges vote, set against years of former staff describing a harsh boss, and gaps in what I could verify on trans issues.
Amy Klobuchar built her name as a prosecutor and then a Minnesota senator, and this week she became governor-elect. CBS News projected she beat state House Speaker Lisa Demuth by nearly 13 points, making her the state's first woman governor. She'd already cruised through the DFL primary in August with about 89 per cent of the vote.
Now the bit that follows her around. In 2019, as she launched a presidential run, HuffPost reported that former staffers alleged she shouted at employees over small mistakes, sent harsh late-night emails and gave them personal errands. HuffPost also reported at least three people withdrew from consideration to run her campaign, partly over her management style. She didn't deny it outright: “Yes, I can be tough, and yes I can push people,” she said, pointing to staff who've stayed with her for years.
On the harm test, I found nothing hateful in her own words. The sore point is judges: in 2018 she voted to confirm Trump nominee David Stras, whose record on LGBTQ cases drew opposition from Lambda Legal. Her spokesperson said she disagreed with his comments, wouldn't have recommended him, and saw him as better than the alternatives. I couldn't open pages on her recent votes on trans issues, so that's a gap, not a clean bill.
So would we support her? On harm, she gets an asterisk for the judges vote and nothing worse that I could find. On being a good boss, the record is mixed: a long-running set of reports from former staff, a half-concession from her, and no court finding. Where you land depends on whether you read it as a tough boss in a high-pressure job or a pattern worth watching in a new one.