Since announcing her 2020 presidential candidacy, Sen. Amy Klobuchar has been positioned as the moderate, Midwestern Democrat that can actually get things done. At a Fox News town hall in Milwaukee Wednesday, Klobuchar made the case she's the candidate for the more liberal voters as well, calling herself a "proven progressive." "The last time I checked, if you want to be a progressive and support progressives, then you're supposed to make progress," she said. "That is what I have done my whole life." "Heartland Amy," as she referred to herself when asked to come up with a nickname, took questions at the Milwaukee Grain Exchange for about an hour. She's the second 2020 Democratic candidate, after Bernie Sanders, to do a town hall on the conservative-oriented Fox News. She has regularly separated herself from fellow Democratic rivals by questioning the grand, sweeping measures often touted by her opponents, a trend that continued Wednesday. Klobuchar told the crowd she supports legalizing marijuana, but would leave it up to states to decide rather than relying on federal actions, according to Fox News. She also noted sentences for non-violent offenders should be reduced. She reiterated her support for universal health care with a public option, but again said she'd like to build on the Affordable Care Act, not immediately aim for a "Medicare for all" plan. And in previous comments, Klobuchar has described the Green New Deal as "aspirational," noting she would vote for it if it came up, but acknowledging there would likely have to be compromises if it were to pass. Which gets back to the pitch Klobuchar has made all along, and restated to the Fox News audience Wednesday: she gets things done. "Even during the time of this president, 34 of the bills where I have been the lead Democrat have been signed into law," she told the crowd in Milwaukee, pointing to state election equipment funding, responding to drug shortages for kids with cancer, and the bridge from Minnesota to Wisconsin. "Those are real accomplishments, and that's what I think we need to do." Whether Democratic voters agree will remains to be seen. She's currently polling in the low single digits, generally behind seven other Democratic candidates. You can watch Klobuchar's town hall via the Fox News YouTube channel. Here's part one:<doc-sep>Poised, Confident Klobuchar Draws Praise for Fox News Town Hall Appearance Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s steeply uphill campaign for her party’s 2020 presidential nomination got a much-needed boost on May 8 as she became the second Democratic candidate to take the plunge on the Fox News Town Hall. Since announcing her candidacy Feb. 10, the Minnesota Democrat, 58, has been mired deep in the pack of 22 candidates seeking to oppose President Donald Trump’s reelection bid in November 2020. She consistently draws around five percent support in surveys of the gigantic field, trailing former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and, more recently, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Klobuchar displayed the key to her candidacy when she was asked by an audience member why progressive voters should support her rather than any of the other nearly two dozen candidates who offer similar, if not identical, positions on major issues such as Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. “I am a proven progressive,” she said. “The last time I checked, if you want to be a progressive and support progressives, then you are supposed to make progress.” Klobuchar has acquired a reputation, serving as Minnesota’s first woman senator, as somebody who generally takes liberal positions but who is also pragmatic and willing to work with opponents whenever possible. She supports Medicare for All but thinks it can only be achieved gradually and in stages. Similarly, Klobuchar calls the Green New Deal “aspirational,” which sounds very much like a diplomatic dismissal. Her image thus provides a solid contrast with left-wing radicalism displayed by Sanders, Harris, and Warren, as well as other less-prominent contenders such as Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas). Reviews One important Democratic player who was impressed with Klobuchar’s performance was former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile, now a Fox News political analyst. “If I had a nickname for her, I would just call her ‘Common Sense Amy’ because many of her answers were just common sense,” Brazile said after the event. “I thought she did herself a lot of good tonight, especially with those Democrats who are still shopping for a candidate,” Brazile said. “She had a lot of items that she checked off the list and, while I think on the economy she needs to get a little stronger, overall, I think she did a great job.” Klobuchar also drew praise on May 9 for a strong onstage performance in the Fox News event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from Democratic and Republican strategists interviewed by The Epoch Times. “No one should underestimate Klobuchar. She’s a smart, low-key legislator. She’s that senatorial horse with blinders on,” Democrat Jimmy Williams said. “But she’s also politically astute and that makes her dangerous to Trump both as a potential opponent and as a sitting senator,” he said. Williams, a South Carolina-based campaign strategist, is a former senior economic adviser to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “Senator Klobuchar did a great job in her Fox News town hall,” said Republican strategist Brian Darling. “Her strength was that she was in Wisconsin and was speaking to a state that narrowly voted for President Trump, and she discussed her struggle with her dad’s addiction in a way that shows her humanity.” But Darling cautioned that, while “any time a candidate has one hour on a major network to make their case, they are winning,” he said he doesn’t see “a pathway to victory for her campaign.” Darling thinks Klobuchar’s most realistic hope is to be the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee. Klobuchar should get significant benefit from the Milwaukee event if the audience for the first Fox News Town Hall on April 15 is a reliable indicator. Sanders, the self-described democratic socialist who challenged former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton until late in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, drew 2.6 million viewers. The May 8 town hall audience was down significantly at 1.6 million views. But even down 1 million viewers, the Fox program was still the most-watched on cable news for the time slot, according to Nielsen Media Research figures reported by The Hill. The 1.6 million viewers, however, was significantly better than the 1.1 million who watched Klobuchar’s CNN Town Hall on Feb. 18. Earlier this year, the DNC, led by its chairman, Tom Perez of Maryland, opted to deny Fox News a role in televising debates among the Democratic candidates during the primary campaign. Neither Sanders nor Klobuchar were explicitly defying the DNC by appearing on the town halls, same goes for Buttigieg and Gillibrand who are scheduled for May 19 and June 2 respectively. Fox also hosted an April 4 Town Hall with former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, a Democrat who is considering running as an independent.<doc-sep>Amy Klobuchar became the second presidential hopeful to appear on a Fox News Channel town hall Wednesday when she talked with voters from The Grain Exchange in downtown Milwaukee. Hide Transcript Show Transcript >> THREE, TWO, ONE REPORTER: THE DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA BECOMES THE JUST SECOND PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL TO TO APPEAR IN A FOX NEWS TOWNHALL, AFTER THE DNC BANNED FOX FROM HOSTING ANY PRIMARY DEBATES. >> IT’S ALSO FUN TO BE HERE ON FOX. IT FEELS LIKE BEING A VIKING FAN ON LAMBEAU FIELD REPORTER: FROM THE GRAIN EXCHANGE IN DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE, KLOBUCHAR TOOK QUESTIONS FROM WISCONSIN VOTERS, IN A STATE DEMOCRATS ARE VOWING TO NOT IGNORE. >> I THOUGHT SHE’S A VERY GOOD SPEAKER. SHE’S HITTING THE ISSUES LIKE THEY SHOULD BE HIT. >> SOME OF THE ANSWERS I DIDN’T REALLY CARE FOR. I THINK THEY WERE TOO GENERIC, NO SPECIFICS. REPORTER: AFTERWARDS, KLOBUCHAR TALKED WITH 12 NEWS. HOW CRITICAL IS THIS STATE TO YOUR OVERALL ROADMAP? >> IT’S VERY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE I’M THE SENATOR NEXT DOOR. I SAW WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST ELECTION, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BETTER YOU SAW IN 2018 WHEN YOU REALLY GET OUT THERE AND TALK TO PEOPLE WITH AN ECONOMIC MESSAGE THAT WE CAN WIN WISCONSIN. REPORTER: HOW DO YOU WIN A PURPLE STATE LIKE WISCONSIN? THE PRESIDENT WON IT BY A SLIM MARGIN. >> YOU DO IT BY GOING EVERYWHERE. REPORTER: SENATOR KLOBUCHAR HAS SOME GAME TO MAKE UP IN TERMS OF NAME RECOGNITION HERE IN WISCONSIN. IN THE MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL POLL OUT LAST MONTH, 50% OF WISCONSINITES SAID THEY STILL DON’T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT HER. IN MILWAUKEE, MATT SMITH, WISN 12 NEWS. PATRICK: IN RESPONSE TO TONIGHT’S TOWN HALL, THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE SAID KLOBUCHAR IS NOTHING BU Advertisement Democratic presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar: 'We can win Wisconsin' Amy Klobuchar became the second presidential hopeful to appear on a Fox News Channel town hall Wednesday when she talked with voters from The Grain Exchange in downtown Milwaukee. Share Shares Copy Link Copy Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar became the second presidential hopeful to appear on a Fox News Channel town hall Wednesday when she talked with voters from The Grain Exchange in downtown Milwaukee. "It’s also fun to be here on Fox," Klobuchar said. "It feels like being a Vikings fan on Lambeau Field. "Klobuchar, a Democratic senator from Minnesota, took questions from Wisconsin voters along with Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. The town hall events come after Democratic National Committee officials said Fox News would not host a primary debate. "I thought she's a very good speaker," said Bob Amsden, a Milwaukee resident who attended the town hall. "She's hitting the issues like they should be hit. "Klobuchar noted the fact that her mother was born in Milwaukee and part of her family still lives in Wisconsin. "We're not leaving the Midwest behind," Klobuchar said in reference to the fact that Hillary Clinton didn't campaign in Wisconsin during the 2016 general election.Fox News said it worked with organizations throughout Milwaukee to fill the audience with a variety of voters including Democrats, Republicans and Independents. "Some of the answers I didn’t really care for," Nella Groysman said, a Milwaukee resident. "I think they were too generic. No specifics. "Afterward, Klobuchar greeted supporters, took selfies and talked with WISN 12 News about the importance of Wisconsin headed into 2020. "It's very important because I’m the senator next door," she said. "I saw what happened in the last election, and I think we can do better. Now you saw in 2018, when you really get out there and talk to people with an economic message, that we can win Wisconsin. "In an April Marquette University Law School poll, 50 percent of Wisconsin voters said they didn’t know enough about Klobuchar to form a strong opinion about whether they would vote for her. The Republican National Committee issued a statement in response to Klobuchar's visit saying, "Amy Klobuchar is trying to fool Midwestern voters into thinking she's ‘one of them,' but her values better align with coastal elitists, not the heartland. On the job-killing Green New Deal, on attacking President Trump's historic economic agenda, and on obstructing's President Trump's pursuit of progress, Klobuchar is nothing but a rubber stamp for the radical left."<doc-sep>ADVERTISEMENT The event, co-moderated by "Special Report" anchor Bret Baier and "The Story" anchor Martha MacCallum, delivered 235,000 viewers in the 25-54 age bracket many advertisers cater to.Both those numbers placed Fox News at the top of the cable news ratings race during the hour the event aired, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. MSNBC was second during the same hour, with 1.48 million total viewers and 206,000 in the demographic, followed by CNN with 759,000 total viewers and 199,000 in the demographic.Klobuchar, who is polling at 1.4 percent in the RealClearPolitics polling index , is the second Democratic presidential candidate to appear on Fox News in a town hall format.Last month, Sen.(I-Vt.) was featured in a live event from Bethlehem, Pa., that drew nearly 2.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched town hall of the year.South Bend, Ind., Mayorwill appear in a Fox News town hall on May 19.The live events come after the Democratic National Committee (DNC) barred Fox News in March from hosting a Democratic presidential primary debate over the network’s reported close ties with the Trump administration.<doc-sep>
Fox News Channel topped cable news rivals on Thursday night during its Town Hall event with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., as CNN continues to settle for third place, according to Nielsen Media Research. Fox News averaged 1.6 million viewers from 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET during the Klobuchar town hall, which was hosted by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. During the same time period, MSNBC averaged 1.5 million viewers and CNN just 759,000. RATINGS-CHALLENGED CNN SHEDS STAFF AS NETWORK MOVES INTO LAVISH NEW DIGS Klobuchar was also featured on a CNN town hall last month, but her appearance on the struggling network didn’t help its ratings. According to TVNewser, Klobuchar’s CNN event on April 22 averaged only 869,000 viewers – well behind both Fox News and MSNBC viewership during the timeslot. Fox News’ audience for Klobuchar was 85 percent larger in total viewers and 28 percent higher among the key demo compared to her appearance on CNN. Klobuchar's appearance on Fox News apparently helped the network top rivals for the remainder of the night. During the prime-time hours of 8-11 p.m., Fox News averaged three million total viewers compared to 2.4 million for MSNBC and 944,000 for CNN. Fox News also attracted more viewers from the key demo of adults ages 25-54, averaging 536,000 viewers in that category compared to 406,000 for MSNBC and only 245,000 for CNN. FOX NEWS BEATS MSNBC, CNN COMBINED ON NIGHT CNN HOSTED KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND TOWN HALL During her appearance on Fox News, Klobuchar said progressives should support her bid for the presidency in 2020 because she is a “proven progressive.” Many view Klobuchar as a more moderate Democratic presidential candidate among the nearly two dozen hopefuls in the race. During the town hall, that distinction formed the underpinnings of one question from an audience member, who asked why progressives should support the senator and noted her “unwillingness to support” Medicare for all or free college for all. “Progressives should support me because I'm a proven progressive. The last time I checked, if you want to be a progressive and support progressives, then you are supposed to make progress. All right? And that is what I have done. That it is what I've done my whole life,” Klobuchar told the Wisconsin audience. Meanwhile, at the ratings-challenged CNN, more than 100 employees accepted a voluntary buyout as the company looks to pare its head count as it moves into a luxurious new headquarters in the Hudson Yards area on the West Side of Manhattan. Fox News’ Victor Garcia contributed to this report.