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Klobuchar drops presidential bid

Klobuchar plans to fly to Dallas tonight to endorse Joe Biden.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Sen. Amy Klobuchar shown speaking at a North Carolina Democratic Party event in Charlotte on Saturday.
REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her presidential campaign on Monday, planning to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden.

Minnesota’s senior senator announced her bid for president in February of last year. She spent much of her campaign in Iowa, looking to slingshot forward after a success there. She ultimately finished in fifth place in Iowa.

A surprise third place result in New Hampshire spurred speculation that she could pull forward, but lackluster finishes in Nevada and South Carolina may have contributed to her decision to drop out.

Over the last month, a Super PAC supporting Klobuchar, Kitchen Table Conversations, spent more than $2 million on pro-Klobuchar advertisements in an attempt to keep her in the race.

Throughout the race, Klobuchar called herself “Heartland Amy” and “The Senator Next Door,” arguing she could win moderate and conservative voters in the Midwest. She often spoke of her experience in the Senate.

At the same time, her presidential campaign also left room for her long political history to resurface. New facts about his time as a prosecutor led groups like Black Lives Matter Minnesota to call for the senator to drop out of the race. Prominent LGBTQ leaders have criticized Klobuchar’s credit-claiming when it comes to her role in stopping a constituional ammendment to ban same-sex marriage in 2010. And the Klobuchar’s unclear stance on copper-nickel mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area has upset both mining advocates and environmentalists alike.

Klobuchar plans to fly to Dallas tonight, to endorse Biden. Over the weekend, two other candidates left the race: Tom Steyer and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg .

Klobuchar is dropping out the day before Super Tuesday, when voters in 14 states, including Minnesota, will cast primary ballots in the presidential race. The Senator was not leading in any other polls around the country.

This story is developing and will be updated.