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Where's Hoffa Driving the Teamsters?
July 24, 2000 Issue
There was a time when the very word "Teamsters" evoked some pretty dark images: a bloated and notoriously corrupt union president, carried into the Teamsters convention on a gilded sedan chair by
By Marc Cooper
There was a time when the very word "Teamsters" evoked some pretty dark images: a bloated and notoriously corrupt union president, carried into the Teamsters convention on a gilded sedan chair by men dressed as gladiators; another mob-tied president disappearing to God-knows-where; millions in pension-fund dollars being used to build Vegas casinos and hotels; hired thugs roaming the California grape fields, beating up UFW strikers and signing sweetheart deals with the growers.
But that was then. This is now: Teamsters and turtles together, confronting corporate globalization in Seattle; Teamsters helping to lead the human rights fight against permanent normal trade relations with China and putting 5,000 members on the Capitol steps during the week of the A16 demos to prove they mean it; Teamsters, along with auto workers, refusing to join the rest of labor in an early endorsement of Al Gore and instead conducting an intricate minuet with Green presidential candidate Ralph Nader. The Teamsters, in short, making a bid to become key partners and allies in that progressive blue/green coalition that began to gel out of the gaseous clouds of the WTO protests.
Without question, the roots of this transformation of America's largest industrial union, with 1.4 million members, can be traced to an overall reactivation of labor, as well as to the Teamsters' own internal reform administrations of the past decade and, of course, to federal intervention and semi-tutelage of the union that began in 1989 as part of a massive cleanup campaign. But the transformation also shows the effect of 59-year-old James P. Hoffa, general president of the Teamsters for the past year. Some predicted an unmitigated disaster when Hoffa was elected: After all, "Junior," as Hoffa was disparagingly called by his critics, was the son of tainted Jimmy Sr.–the fabled Teamsters boss who was immortalized on the screen by Jack Nicholson and whose body, after his kidnapping, has never been found. So when Jimmy Jr. ran against reformist-backed incumbent Ron Carey, he was seen strictly as the preferred candidate of the Teamsters "barons," the comfy bureaucrats reviled by reformers.
To many, the choice at the time seemed stark and simple: Either Carey and continued reform or "Junior" Hoffa and a return to the Bad Old Days. But Carey, after becoming ensnared in a money-laundering scheme in which $750,000 in union funds washed through some Democratic-linked advocacy groups and then back into his union campaign coffers, was removed from the Teamsters presidency by a federal oversight panel and disqualified from standing for re-election. (Carey claimed he didn't know of the scheme; he was never indicted or legally sanctioned.) Hoffa's fundraising practices were also investigated; although he was fined, the violations were not deemed sufficient to disqualify him. He overcame a hastily staged campaign by reform-slate candidate Tom Leedham and won the 1998 election, formally taking office in March 1999.
In the year since then, by anyone's measure the world hasn't collapsed. "The moral in this story is that life goes on," quips Elaine Bernard, a progressive labor-studies expert at Harvard. She adds, "It's still too early to make any definitive judgment on Hoffa." But given the sort of hostility that his name evoked on the left, and given the predictions of a royalist restoration should Hoffa actually be elected, even that kind of equivocal evaluation must come as music to Hoffa's ears.
Meanwhile, numerous progressive activists, politicians and campaigners wax downright effusive. "Working with Jimmy Hoffa has been an experience of seeing someone open up–and care about the details," says Lori Wallach, director of Global Trade Watch. "He has won our respect and admiration and has become an important ally in the fight against globalization." Progressive Representative Dennis Kucinich agrees. "I've stood with Jimmy maybe a half-dozen times now, and he's always ready to do the right thing, always ready to go out front personally, and that's important," Kucinich says. "His support for human rights and workers' rights and his outreach to others to make new coalitions is crucial." Says fellow progressive Representative Bernie Sanders, "I'm always delighted to work side by side with Jimmy Hoffa." And reliably pro-labor Congressman John Conyers, whose father was a UAW representative and who has worked closely with the Teamsters for years in their shared Detroit-area base, says, "I sense an improvement in the Teamsters. I'm getting good vibes from them. Jimmy is a talented young man capable of making a big mark in the labor movement."
Hoffa's Teamsters, of course, hardly hold a monopoly on taking progressive stands on trade and globalization. Other labor leaders like George Becker of the Steelworkers have been quicker to understand the importance of coalition-building on these issues as well as the relationship between workers' rights in the United States and such things as the need for debt relief abroad. And moves like Hoffa's decision to invite Pat Buchanan to the DC rally against the China trade bill leave some progressive activists cold. But the fact is that in his first year on the job, Hoffa has surprised many by showing himself to be a potentially powerful and reliable ally–rather than a roadblock–in the fight for a progressive national politics.
Inside Politics: Whose Union?
Inside the Teamsters union itself, opinion on Hoffa is, naturally, much more divided. And it's there, ultimately, that he will prove his critics right or wrong. Among his successes to date: Flight attendants at Northwest Airlines recently ratified a new contract with a 68 percent approval vote. Hoffa's leadership also won a ruling forcing UPS to make good on its promise to create 10,000 new jobs. Under direct Teamsters pressure, the Clinton Administration has kept Mexican trucks from doing business inside the United States, despite a NAFTA provision to the contrary. Moreover, some former Carey allies, like Randy Cammack of the powerful Local 63 in Southern California, have come on board.
Other former Carey allies, however, keep their distance. In fact, many of those turtle-friendly Teamsters in last year's anti-WTO protests were affiliated with Seattle Local 174, whose secretary-treasurer, Bob Hasegawa, remains a Hoffa critic. "I haven't seen as much real leadership as I have seen slick politicking," says Hasegawa, the first Asian-American to run for International VP when he stood with Tom Leedham against Hoffa. And for its part, Teamsters for a Democratic Union, the two-decades-old reform caucus that counts about 10,000 members nationally, remains implacably opposed. At the heart of the TDU opposition is a concern that Hoffa is jettisoning the model of intensive membership mobilization and community outreach that produced the resoundingly successful UPS strike in 1997. But there is a personal element as well.
"Ask me what Hoffa's like? He's mostly nothing. He's a boring golfer. A boring lawyer," says TDU leader Ken Paff. (Unlike his father, who left school at age 14 and was running his first strike three years later, Hoffa Jr. had a comfortable middle-class childhood, graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, took an unsuccessful run at state office–as a liberal Democrat–and built a labor career not as a frontline organizer but as an office-anchored lawyer.) "He's a yuppie," snorts Paff. "Even the power barons who put him in office laugh at him. They don't respect him." Leedham, who was endorsed by TDU in his 1998 race against Hoffa on the Rank and File Power slate, argues that Hoffa is dismantling recent gains. "What's going on inside the union isn't good," he says. "We are weaker. The new posture is to talk tough but to settle short. The only thing Hoffa does well is PR."
Critics of Hoffa point to what they call inadequate contracts in the settlements with Northwest Airlines and Anheuser-Busch. And they are livid over a messy strike last year at an IBP meatpacking plant in Wallula, Washington. When IBP management imposed a speedup during contract talks, angry workers spontaneously walked off the job. A few days later a formal strike vote was passed. "That strike lasted six weeks, and the Teamsters Local was basically absent during the whole affair," says TDU activist David Levin, who spent a lot of time working on the strike. As Levin recalls it, "Another TDU activist, Maria Martinez, was elected as chief shop steward and basically led the strike. After a settlement was reached with the company, Martinez was set to run–and perhaps win–the presidency of the Local. Boom. Hoffa placed the Local in trusteeship. He locked in the do-nothing leadership and headed off Maria's election. Next, she was removed as chief steward." A court ruling, however, recently restored Martinez to her position. And now rank-and-filers are in court trying to lift the imposed trusteeship.
"It's just not true that we trusteed that Local for political reasons," says Hoffa spokesman Brett Caldwell. "The strike had emptied the Local treasury. It couldn't operate any longer on its own and asked the International to come in and bail it out. That's all that happened." Caldwell's rationale for taking over the Local seems thin. But while an unwarranted "trusteeship" should never be shrugged off, such actions unfortunately happen every day in the labor movement. The real question is whether what happened with this Local will remain an isolated incident or become standard practice for the Hoffa administration.
Jawing With Jimmy
Inside the Washington, DC, headquarters of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters–the so-called "Marble Palace"–Jimmy Hoffa's physical bulk and outsize personality seem to fill his cavernous paneled and carpeted office. Above his massive desk hangs an oil painting of his father, who, after assuming the presidency in 1957, spent fourteen turbulent years building the Teamsters into the most powerful union in the country–and one of the dirtiest.
Hoffa's son may be criticized for how he's running the union, but no one can deny the zeal and energy with which he has assumed his new role or the inspiration he derives from the notion of building a union every bit as powerful as his father's–a union, he argues, that was divided against itself during the Carey period. "It's just amazing what's happening in this union today," he says during a wide-ranging interview. "It's now united like never before. Everyone knows we are now working toward a common goal." And that goal, says Hoffa, is not only to win better contracts and better conditions for Teamsters members but also to position the union as a sort of motor force for an alternative political coalition. "I would say I'm a progressive populist," Hoffa says, adding, "We want to be on the cutting edge of the important issues of the twenty-first century."
It's this willingness to go out front on certain issues that wins Hoffa his highest kudos from admirers. "Ron Carey was an inspiration but he just didn't have what it took personally or politically," says Linda Kaboolian, a longtime researcher on Teamsters affairs and a professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "There's just too much evidence that Carey lacked serious follow-through." Hoffa's current political director, Chuck Harple, who served as Carey's legislative representative, says that whereas "Carey would just not let us build these sorts of coalitions," Hoffa "comes in and says, 'Let's work with everyone we can.'"
This notion of coalition politics seems to be Hoffa's favorite topic. "I think we're onto something here, expanding our influence," he says. "We want to keep the union strong, to keep the AFL-CIO strong, and by reaching out to environmentalists, to the religious community, we're even stronger." He adds, "We can lobby on Capitol Hill and then transfer that power to more street demonstrations, to running candidates for office, to running people for Congress. We can get the endorsements of all the labor people in labor-intensive states; maybe we can even run a candidate for President."
But to accomplish any of that, Hoffa says, he's going to have to stay in office beyond his current term (federal overseers are letting him serve out the last part of Carey's tenure). "I have to run again next year," says Hoffa. "So let me make an announcement right here. I'm announcing it officially. I'm running again next year."
Coverup or Cleanup?
At the beginning of this year Hoffa's Teamsters implemented the Respect, Integrity, Strength and Ethics program, known by its acronym RISE. Hoffa describes RISE as the "logical successor" to the consent decree that the union entered into with the government more than a decade ago. In other words, Hoffa wants RISE to be a self-policing, anticorruption unit successful enough that the US Attorney in Manhattan will agree to end federal oversight of the union.
Edwin Stier, a former federal prosecutor who served for eleven years as the court-appointed trustee of notorious Local 560 in New Jersey and who heads RISE, says, "So long as the government is still in, there is a cloud over the union, a stigma. Tell someone you're a Teamster and they look at you strangely. It will be a tremendous psychological lift when the intervention is lifted." A board of advisers appointed by Stier that will review the work of RISE includes the law professor who is the author of the RICO statute (the 1970 antiracketeering law that has been used against many corrupt union leaders), a former Labor Department inspector general and the former FBI agent who supervised the investigation into the disappearance of the senior Hoffa.
Some observers see Hoffa's desire to get rid of the federal oversight as natural, considering that the union has spent $82 million over ten years on the program and has been forced to accept the government as co-governor. Others, however, see it as the first step in something redolent of a grand conspiracy: If the Feds are pulled out, Hoffa will begin building a personal empire and bring back the mob. Speaking for those in the middle is a reform-minded labor lawyer who represents a Midwestern Teamsters Local. "Eventually the Feds have to get out of the union," he says. "But not yet. Hoffa is turning out better than some people thought because the internal culture of the Teamsters has changed so much. He has to deal with a totally different internal world than his father did. The Teamsters, fortunately, can never go back to where they were. But we should be in no hurry to end the oversight."
TDU's Paff openly scoffs at RISE and at Stier. "Ed Stier? As far as I can tell, he's a guy who talks a lot," Paff says. Another TDU official writes Stier off as "in the bag for Hoffa." In contrast, Herman Benson of the Association for Union Democracy–hardly a Hoffa stronghold–says, "As overseer of Local 560, Ed Stier did a great job, really great." Still, he cautions, "but there he was armed with the full power of the courts and had the FBI behind him. What power will he have now?"
How much power is a good question. Stier's staff at RISE hardly comes off as a claque of Hoffa-picked toadies, as his critics charge. An organized-crime study of the union now under way is supervised by a former top FBI investigator of the New York Mafia, and working with him are a dozen other former FBI racketeering experts. Separate from the crime study, a task force comprising twenty-two Teamsters is developing a code of conduct and an enforcement mechanism. One of the non-Hoffa-aligned members of the task force, Wayne Fernicola of New Jersey Local 177, says, "I was the staunchest anti-Hoffa person in New Jersey. My Local went 86 percent for Leedham against him. But working with Ed Stier and RISE has turned my head around. I don't know a more honest man than Ed Stier. And I like the changes I'm seeing around the Teamsters."
The RISE critics point to a recently circulated draft code of ethics that would allow the continuation of multiple salaries and other perks that have been anathema to reformers. But Stier says what has been published is only a draft and that certain issues–like multiple salaries–are internal constitutional questions that cannot be expunged by fiat.
Even TDU's one champion on the RISE task force, Ron Teninty, disagrees with those who shrug off the anticorruption drive. While uncomfortable in some ways with the composition of the force, he says, "I have no questions about the integrity of the RISE process; the people are honest, and there is no pre-cooked conspiracy to stage a dog-and-pony show." As to the draft code of ethics, Teninty says it doesn't go nearly as far as he would like. "But it's going to be good, it's going to be beneficial, it's going to educate the members about their rights. And it's going to create an internal tribunal process that will be about as neutral and apolitical as one could make it."
Professor Kaboolian, who has sat in on most of the RISE task force meetings, says, "There's a lot of challenging and questioning that goes on in those meetings, and the people not identified with Hoffa are much more influential than TDU's characterization of them." Why, then, such unremitting hostility toward RISE from groups like TDU, who should be the most committed to serious cleanup efforts? "I think some of TDU's agenda is strictly political," is Stier's answer. And it's a plausible one. With Teamsters elections barely a year off, it's not only Hoffa who is politicking but also his opposition, one bent on denying him any credit.
The first acid test for the new machinery created by RISE will be its still unproven willingness to take on Hoffa allies directly. That chance may be coming soon. Recently, the federal oversight board that monitors the Teamsters recommended that Larry Brennan, a close Hoffa mentor, be charged with breach of fiduciary duties.
Playing With Pat, Nuzzling Nader
Before his election, there was speculation that Hoffa could emerge as a pole around which labor conservatives would rally in opposition to AFL-CIO president John Sweeney. But the fault lines that have appeared inside the federation are not so much left/right as they are industrial sector/service sector–with the former taking the hardest line against Clinton Administration trade policy (Sweeney is a former head of the largest service union in the country).
That's why the Teamsters and the UAW were the two major holdouts at last October's AFL-CIO convention, refusing to join the early endorsement of Al Gore. If anything, Hoffa's influence inside the federation seems to be causing Sweeney to take ever-clearer stands on issues of globalization. And Sweeney has seemingly gone out of his way to appease Hoffa and keep him as a top ally–a neat trick, given the enmity between Hoffa and Sweeney's top lieutenant, federation secretary-treasurer Richard Trumka. Trumka was closely involved in Carey's muddied election campaign and still might be facing legal jeopardy for his role. There was even some speculation that Hoffa might help the Feds out if they bring a case against Trumka, but till now, Hoffa has kept mum on that possibility.
In a clear peace offering, Sweeney gave the Teamsters $500,000 in federation backing to support their ongoing strike against the Overnite Transportation Company. "Hoffa puts the fucking fear of God into Sweeney," says a close labor observer. "Hoffa's got 1.4 million per caps. If he takes a walk, it's shit city for the AFL. And Hoffa's no wussy. He doesn't care about rocking the boat. He actually enjoys it."
If that's the case, then Hoffa has been immersed in fun since late May, when the House of Representatives–including a full third of the Democratic caucus–defied organized labor and voted to approve permanent normal trade relations with China. As that vote came down, the enigmatic leader of the UAW, Stephen Yokich, issued an angry statement alleging betrayal by the Democrats and Al Gore and openly suggesting that his union might wind up supporting Ralph Nader.
Hoffa, who has forged a close personal alliance with Yokich, made it a duet when on June 22 he invited Nader to address his general executive board. After the meeting, Hoffa heaped verbal bouquets on Nader and called for him and Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan to be allowed into the official presidential debates. Hoffa, who earlier had played a round of political footsie with Pitchfork Pat when he invited Buchanan to the trade-bill rally in Washington, also partially allayed some progressive concerns when he said that Nader was much closer to labor's overall positions than Buchanan. Hoffa political director Harple says it's absurd to think that his boss was ever considering a Buchanan endorsement. "When Jim became president he said he wanted to open the union to people who do not support labor to see if there were other common areas, like trade," says Harple. "That doesn't mean we are going to endorse them for President."
Whatever one thinks of the wisdom of abandoning or supporting Gore, a continued withholding of support for the Democratic nominee by the Teamsters and the UAW would mark a giant step forward from what is mostly the lip service labor currently pays to the notion of building an independent politics. Harple says that from now on Democrats "are not going to get [our support] as easily as they once did." And just as the Democrats are gearing up to win back the House, Hoffa is exacting his revenge by beginning to cut off cash to a number of Democrats who voted against labor on the China vote. The Teamsters have revoked their endorsement and financial support of Representative Lois Capps of Santa Barbara, California, and Michael Case, a California Democratic challenger. The union has also cut off funding for Kansas Democrat Dennis Moore, who is locked in a tight re-election race, as well as for Democrats Diana DeGette of Colorado and Tom Sawyer of Ohio. "I believe in accountability," says Harple.
One thing that is disconcerting, however, is the recent decision of the Michigan Teamsters, seconded by the International, to endorse conservative GOP Representative Pete Hoekstra. Hoekstra has a staunch antilabor record, but apparently what's more important to the Teamsters is that he sits on the Congressional committee overseeing union activities. (Then again, the Hoffa-led Teamsters may simply be returning a favor: It was Hoekstra who enthusiastically took up Hoffa's cries of fraud and led the Congressional investigation into Carey's campaign finances.)
White Hats, Black Hats–and Shades of Gray
Hoffa's ultimate success or failure will be determined not by his stands on presidential candidates or on trade–no matter how unconventional or militant–but rather by his ability to deliver better contracts, higher wages, bigger pensions and new members to his union. His current big gamble is the strike that broke out last October against freight giant Overnite–a unit of the powerful Union Pacific Corporation. The union predicted a quick surrender by the company, but the battle is becoming a grinding, protracted fight to the finish that is bleeding the union at the rate of several hundred thousand dollars per month in strike benefits.
A decisive and clear-cut victory would vindicate Hoffa's style of leadership and give him a boost going into next year's re-election campaign. So far his approach to the conflict has been much more in the tradition of his father's Great Man style–his most dramatic move was to challenge an Overnite executive to a one-on-one debate, a bid that proved unsuccessful–than in the social movement/mobilization mode. In solidarity with an ongoing strike, most internal criticism of the Overnite struggle is muted. Spero Rockas, the principal officer of Seattle Local 741, much of whose membership is involved in the strike, says, "The International has been great, supporting us 100 percent." But a number of other Teamsters leaders on the West Coast expressed dissatisfaction over the lagging level of grassroots mobilization. "What strike?" asked another Washington State Teamster.
Exactly what might emerge from this strike is a clearer notion of what Hoffa's union model will be. Will he show that he has discarded the sort of intense member involvement and social-movement organizing that made Ron Carey's leadership of the 1997 UPS strike so electrifying to the rest of the labor movement? Will he win a big victory relying on his father's personalized model of leadership: the fist on the table, the hearty handshake, the skillful brokering of power? Or will Hoffa be able to find some middle ground, one that melds his personal, charismatic style with the grassroots energy and membership mobilizing power of the sort that TDU has brought so effectively to bear over the past twenty years? And will he show that he believes in a union that allows for an active and respected internal opposition?
Harvard's Linda Kaboolian thinks that much of the internal culture of the Teamsters is so resistant to change that only what she calls "an incrementalist" like Hoffa who doesn't frighten the encrusted bureaucracy, as opposed to a "revolutionary" like Ron Carey, can actually move the union forward. "You can't move this union along and stay completely out of the old power centers," Kaboolian says. "Carey tried it and failed. Now it's Hoffa's turn. Don't look for white hats and black hats in this movie, because there aren't any. Look for who can get the job done."
Marc CooperMarc Cooper, a Nation contributing editor, is a retired professor of journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.


When people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) present themselves, or, just as frequently, are presented to mental health professionals, it's not uncommon to see them as a cluster of symptoms that confirm that diagnosis.
"It's time to ask, 'What happened to you?' only then will we get closer to the real story."
All being well, and if resources allow, professionals concerned respond accordingly - with chemical and talking therapies - more often than not, responding to the presenting problems.
And there's the flaw. By asking the all too obvious question, 'What's wrong with you?' practitioners are often missing the key part of the story.
BPD, in my experience, is a normal response to abnormal circumstances. Defence mechanisms emerge to protect the mind against often horrible situations.
It's time to ask, 'What happened to you?' only then will we get closer to the real story.
In Walk a Mile: Tales of a Wandering Loon, I start that conversation.
It's still Christmas Time and Chris has a similar injury to generic party friend 'x'.
I punched the wall...hard. I knew immediately I'd broken two knuckles on my right hand. The severe pain brought the maelstrom of emotions to an abrupt halt.
In an ideal world, I'd have hopped on the bus/ called for a taxi/ got an ambulance to take me to accident and emergency...but reality bit.
'That's not very intelligent', he'd said.
It's easy for mental health practitioners, carers, friends, family and folk with BPD to stop at the shopping list of symptoms that BPD has to offer.
But that would be very short sighted. I've recently started using Neil Thompson's excellent P(ersonal) C(ultural) S(tructural) model of discrimination as a more insightful way of exploring BPD and other mental health problems.
It's very easy to get caught up in the personal - the diagnosis - the symptoms - the treatment - possibly the medical model - and the recovery of mental ill health.
The 'What's WRONG with you?' model.
I've been fortunate enough to receive some rather fabulous group psychotherapy - a group where we developed our own positive micro culture that acted as a bit of a launchpad for me to explore some rather lovely things.
Conversely, a negative culture, where negative thoughts and beliefs are not only allowed to grow - but actively propagated within a group - can have devastating effects.
These are laws, policies and guidelines that have direct or indirect effects on many of the citizens of our fair country.
Austerity is one such policy - a hydra with many heads.
For example, I've recently been involved in the #42Days campaign - a 42 day hunger strike to raise awareness of the unacceptable 42 day delay in payment for people who apply for Universal Credit, which has a Draconian system of benefit sanctions woven into it - punishing people, without due legal process, for the heinous crimes of not filling out a form exactly or missing a meeting - by stopping their money for anything between 3 days and 3 years.
We've recently heard that applicants for Universal Credit are 20 times more likely to be sanctioned than their predecessors.
Throw the mainstream media into the mix, with recent headlines like 'A Nation Hooked on Happy Pills' (Daily Mail 29th December 2017) and we've got a perfect storm.
The BMJ tell us that 120,000 people have died prematurely since the implementation of austerity measures in the U.K.
It's so very easy to get lost in the personal, the, 'What's wrong with you?' perspective of mental ill health.
Without considering the impact of cultural and structural factors, we are only getting a third of the conversation.
Together, through sharing our realities, we can change the story.


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Amy Klobuchar for America Announces New Endorsements from Community Activists and Leaders Across Iowa
Amy For America Announces New Endorsements from Community Activists and Leaders Across Iowa
DES MOINES, IA — Immediately following endorsements from the Quad City Times and three sitting Iowa legislators, Senator Amy Klobuchar today picked up 14 new endorsements from local leaders, activists and former legislators across the Hawkeye State.
"Local elected officials and community leaders continue to throw their support behind Amy because they recognize that she will be a President for all of America," said Amy For America Iowa State Director Lauren Dillon. "These new supporters represent broad backgrounds from across the state and will make strong advocates for our campaign on caucus night. We're thrilled to have their support and look forward to working with them over the next 12 days before Iowans have their say."
With less than two weeks until the Iowa Caucuses, Klobuchar's newest endorsers include:
Penny Rosfjord -- Iowa Democratic Party SCC member and former Woodbury County Democrats Chair
Jean M. Hessburg -- Iowa Democratic Party Women's Caucus Chair, Former Executive Director of the Iowa Democratic Party
Barb Francis -- Mitchell County District Board Supervisor
Bill Gannon -- Former Iowa State Representative
Bruce Rohwer -- Former President and Chair of the Iowa Corn Growers Association
Darrell Hanson -- Former State Senator, Delaware County
Dien Judge -- Democratic activist and District Representative for Rep. Dave Loebsack
Francis Boggus -- Democratic activist and longtime community development planner
Jacquie Easley -- Chair of the Des Moines Plan and Zoning Commission and former candidate for Des Moines City Council
Larry Hodgen -- Chair of Cedar County Democrats
Pat Gill -- Woodbury County Auditor and Former Iowa State Representative
Shari Flatt -- Dubuque community activist
Tom Dryg -- Bettendorf Park Board Commissioner
Victor Dutchuk -- West Des Moines Democrats Chair
This week, Klobuchar was also endorsed by State Senator Rob Hogg, State Representatives Monica Kurth and Chris Hall, and Scott County Recorder Rita Vargas, the highest ranking Latinx elected official in Iowa.
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Amy Klobuchar To Host Statewide Tele-Town Hall in Iowa on Wednesday, January 22, 2020
DES MOINES, IA — Today, Wednesday, January 22 at 8:30 PM CT, Senator Amy Klobuchar will host a statewide tele-town hall with Iowans to discuss her 100 day plan to get our country back on the path to progress with an ambitious, optimistic agenda.
Amy isn't running to be president for half of America -- she's running to be president for all of America. She has the experience and record to prove she can win and deliver real results. She has passed more than 100 bills into law as lead Democrat despite gridlock in Washington, including more than 40 bills under President Trump's administration.
Amy Klobuchar is the only candidate to qualify for the February debate who has visited all of Iowa's 99 counties. This week, she earned endorsements from three additional sitting Iowa legislators, bringing her total to 16 -- more than any other candidate in the field.
NOTE: Schedule subject to change based on U.S. Senate schedule.
Amy Klobuchar For America Launches New TV Ad in Iowa Ahead of February 3 Caucuses
Amy For America Launches New TV Ad in Iowa Ahead of February 3 Caucuses
"Buckle Up" Will Begin Airing Across Iowa Today
DES MOINES, IA — Amy For America today unveiled a new television ad to air statewide in Iowa. The six-figure ad buy comes less than two weeks before the Iowa Caucuses on February 3.
"Buckle Up" highlights Senator Amy Klobuchar's plan of more than 100 executive actions she will take in the first 100 days of her presidency, including re-entering the Paris international climate agreement, taking steps to lower the cost of prescription drugs and closing the "boyfriend loophole" to prevent domestic abusers from obtaining firearms.
Klobuchar is the only candidate to propose a comprehensive plan for the first 100 days of her presidency of actions a President can legally take without Congressional approval.
Klobuchar is the only candidate to qualify for the February debate who has visited all of Iowa's 99 counties. This week, she earned endorsements from three additional sitting Iowa legislators, bringing her total to 16 -- more than any other candidate in the field.
'Buckle Up' can be viewed here:
'Buckle Up' Transcript:
KLOBUCHAR: I'm Amy Klobuchar, and I approve this message.
NARRATOR: 100 days. 100 ways to restore decency, opportunity and hope.
KLOBUCHAR: My entire 100 day plan for America won't fit in a TV ad, but let's give it a go. Rejoin the climate agreement. Lower prescription drug costs. Address mental health and addiction. Fire Betsy DeVos. Expand VA benefits. Protect voting rights. Close corporate tax loopholes.
NARRATOR: As President, she'll work to reset our democracy on day 1.
KLOBUCHAR: Stop the Trump waivers to the oil companies. Antitrust enforcement. Affordable housing.
Iowa State Senator Rob Hogg & Iowa State Representatives Chris Hall and Monica Kurth Endorse Amy Klobuchar for President
Senator Klobuchar Now Has the Support of 16 Legislative Endorsers
DES MOINES, IA — Iowa State Senator Rob Hogg, Iowa State Representative Chris Hall, and Iowa State Representative Monica Kurth today endorsed U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar for President, bringing her number of legislative endorsers to 16 -- the most of any candidate in the field.
Senator Hogg, a four-term Senator who represents a large portion of Cedar Rapids, held independent conversations on climate change with 19 presidential candidates throughout 2019. In announcing his endorsement of Amy Klobuchar, Senator Hogg cited her "working family background, extensive experience on farm and rural issues, and strong commitment to civil rights."
"Like many of our candidates, Senator Klobuchar is a strong leader for climate action," said Iowa State Senator Rob Hogg. "Her visits to flood-affected Iowans shows that she knows that Americans today are already being hurt by climate-related disasters. I believe her plan for quick action on climate – (1) re-enter the Paris Agreement, (2) restore the Clean Power Plan, (3) reinstate the Clean Car Standards, and (4) submit comprehensive climate legislation to Congress to address climate resilience, green infrastructure, and a price on carbon pollution – is achievable and is guided by climate science. Her plan would also lay the foundation for even more action on climate at home and around the world in the decade of the 2020s."
Hall, who represents House District 13 in Sioux City, had previously endorsed Former U.S. Representative Beto O'Rourke. In announcing his endorsement of Klobuchar, Representative Hall cited her "Many Paths to Success" Post-Secondary Education Plan and her knowledge of Iowa's agriculture and biofuel industries.
"I have chosen to endorse Amy Klobuchar because she best understands the challenges and opportunities that Iowans have in front of them," said Iowa State Representative Chris Hall. "She recognizes there are many paths to success, and her commitment to increase access to one and two-year community college degrees and technical certifications will be transformative for people in my district and throughout Iowa. She's extremely familiar with Iowa's agriculture and biofuel industries, and knows how damaging this administration's policies have been for us. Iowans deserve a president who will stand up for our farmers, our workers and our students -- and Amy Klobuchar is uniquely qualified for the role.
Kurth, who represents the west-central part of Davenport and is in her second term in the House, had previously endorsed Senator Cory Booker. A retired community college instructor, Kurth cited Klobuchar's support for community college and technical school education in announcing her endorsement.
"As a former counselor and community college instructor, I've seen firsthand the value of a community college education," said Iowa State Representative Monica Kurth. "Amy understands how important it is to make one and two year degrees and technical certifications an accessible, exciting, and respected option for students, and she has developed the plan to do so. I am proud to endorse her today and look forward to caucusing for her on February 3rd."
Klobuchar, who has been widely praised for her legislative record in the U.S. Senate, has received endorsements from a large number of local and state elected officials in Iowa. With Hogg, Hall and Kurth's endorsements, she now has the support of 16 sitting members of the Iowa legislature -- the most of any candidate in the field. Each time she has led the ticket as a Senate candidate in Minnesota, Democrats have flipped the State House of Representatives from Republican to Democratic control.
Other sitting legislators supporting Klobuchar include:
• Iowa Senator Kevin Kinney
• Iowa Senator Liz Mathis
• Iowa Senator Rich Taylor
• Iowa Senator Todd Taylor
• Iowa Representative Marti Anderson
• Iowa Representative Bruce Bearinger
• Iowa Representative Karin Derry
• Iowa Representative Molly Donahue
• Iowa Representative Ruth Ann Gaines
• Iowa Representative Charlie McConkey
• Iowa Representative Andy McKean
• Iowa Representative Sharon Steckman
• Iowa Representative Cindy Winckler
Amy For America Announces "Hotdish House Parties" Across Iowa This Week
John and Abigail Bessler, Representative Angie Craig, Representative Dean Phillips and USA Curling Gold Medalist Coach Phill Drobnick Will Campaign For Amy Klobuchar in Iowa This Week
DES MOINES, IA — Following Senator Amy Klobuchar's 30th visit to Iowa as a presidential candidate, John and Abigail Bessler, Representative Angie Craig, Representative Dean Phillips and USA Curling Gold Medalist Coach Phill Drobnick will campaign and host Hotdish House Parties across Iowa with just under two weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses.
On Tuesday, January 21, Abigail Bessler, Amy and John's daughter, will kick off her trip with a Hotdish House Party in Stanton. On Wednesday, she will visit colleges and universities throughout central Iowa, and will host a Hotdish House Party in Iowa City.
Additional scheduling details for John, Abigail, Rep. Craig, Rep. Phillips and Coach Phill are forthcoming.
Stanton Hotdish House Party -- 6:00 PM
Stanton, IA 51573
Details forthcoming on college and university visits
Iowa City Hotdish House Party -- 6:00 PM
Scott County Recorder Rita Vargas Endorses Amy Klobuchar for President
Klobuchar Receives Endorsement of Highest Ranking Latinx Elected Official in Iowa
DES MOINES, IA — This weekend, Scott County Recorder Rita Vargas today endorsed Senator Amy Klobuchar for President. Vargas, who has served as Scott County Recorder since 2002, is the highest ranking Latinx elected official in the state of Iowa.
"Amy Klobuchar has the right skills, experience, and vision to lead our country right now," said Scott County Recorder Rita Vargas. "She's committed to bringing people together over our shared values, she's crafted bold and achievable policy plans, and she has the track record to get these plans passed through Congress. With Amy as president, the Latinx community will have a leader who will stand up for worker's rights, pass comprehensive immigration reform, achieve affordable health care, and tackle climate change head-on. I am proud to endorse Amy's candidacy today and look forward to caucusing for her on February 3rd."
Vargas, a lifelong resident of Scott County, was first elected to the recorder's office in 2002 and is a member of the Iowa County Recorders Association. Prior to her election she worked in the Davenport district office of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin.
Klobuchar, who has been widely praised for her legislative record in the U.S. Senate, has received endorsements from a large number of local and state elected officials in Iowa. She currently has the support of 13 sitting members of the Iowa legislature -- the most of any candidate in the field. Each time she has led the ticket as a Senate candidate in Minnesota, Democrats have flipped the State House of Representatives from Republican to Democratic control.
New York Times Editorial Board Endorses Amy Klobuchar for President
Dual Endorsement Comes After Klobuchar Was Endorsed By Quad-City Times Earlier Today
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Tonight, The New York Times editorial board announced that it was endorsing Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senator Elizabeth Warren for President. The endorsement comes after Senator Klobuchar was endorsed by the Quad-City Times earlier in the day.
"Today's endorsement from The New York Times makes it clear that Amy Klobuchar is the candidate for Americans who are fed up with the noise and nonsense coming out of Washington. She has the knowledge, knowhow, and grit it takes to bring people together, take on big challenges, and produce real results," said Amy For America Campaign Manager Justin Buoen. "We're honored to have this endorsement as our grassroots campaign continues to build momentum heading into the Iowa caucuses."
Read what they wrote:
"Amy Klobuchar has emerged as a standard-bearer for the Democratic center. Her vision goes beyond the incremental. Given the polarization in Washington and beyond, the best chance to enact many progressive plans could be under a Klobuchar administration."
"The senator from Minnesota is the very definition of Midwestern charisma, grit and sticktoitiveness. Her lengthy tenure in the Senate and bipartisan credentials would make her a deal maker (a real one) and uniter for the wings of the party — and perhaps the nation."
"Ms. Klobuchar speaks about issues like climate change, the narrowing middle class, gun safety and trade with an empathy that connects to voters' lived experiences, especially in the middle of the country. The senator talks, often with self-deprecating humor, about growing up the daughter of two union workers, her Uncle Dick's deer stand, her father's struggles with alcoholism and her Christian faith."
"Ms. Klobuchar promises a foreign policy based on leading by example, instead of by threat-via-tweet. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, she serves on the subcommittees responsible for oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the nation's borders and its immigration, citizenship and refugee laws. In 13 years as a senator, she has sponsored and voted on dozens of national defense measures, including military action in Libya and Syria. Her record shows that she is confident and thoughtful, and she reacts to data — what you'd want in a crisis."
"All have helped Ms. Klobuchar to be the most productive senator among the Democratic field in terms of bills passed with bipartisan support, according to a recent study for the Center for Effective Lawmaking. When she arrived in the Senate in 2007, Ms. Klobuchar was part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers that proposed comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for 12 million undocumented immigrants, before conservative pundits made it political poison. Her more recent legislative accomplishments are narrower but meaningful to those affected, especially the legislation aimed at helping crime victims. This is not surprising given her background as the chief prosecutor in Minnesota's most populous county. For example, one measure she wrote helped provide funds to reduce a nationwide backlog of rape kits for investigating sexual assaults."
"Any hope of restoring unity in the country will require modesty, a willingness to compromise and the support of the many demographics that make up the Democratic coalition — young and old, in red states and blue, black and brown and white. For Senator Klobuchar, that's acknowledging the depth of the nation's dysfunction."
"May the best woman win."
Amy Klobuchar For America Announces Iowa African Americans for Amy Steering Committee
Amy For America Announces Iowa African Americans for Amy Steering Committee
Steering Committee Includes Community Leaders, Faith Leaders, State Representative
DES MOINES, IA — Amy For America today announced the formation of the Iowa African Americans Steering Committee for Amy. The steering committee, which includes African American leaders from across the state, will be heavily involved in outreach efforts in advance of the caucus, including precinct captain recruitment, caucus trainings, phone-banks and door knocks.
"We are honored to have the support of these influential leaders," said Amy for America Iowa Political Director Jamie Woods. "Senator Klobuchar has been a longtime advocate for the African American community, and as President, she will champion policies that put our needs first. We look forward to working with this accomplished group of people to share Amy's message of unity and an optimistic economic agenda."
In the Senate, Senator Klobuchar has championed voting rights to ensure the voices of all Americans are heard, taken on discrimination in our criminal justice system and worked to expand economic justice and shared propserity. She has pushed to close the wage and wealth gaps, championed efforts to expand tech and entrepreneurship opportunities, and successfully passed legislation to improve the representation of underrepresented groups on the National Science Foundation's Advisory Panel and improve retention of minority STEM teachers.
The Iowa African Americans for Amy steering committee consists of:
Ruth Ann Gaines -- Iowa State Representative and 40 year educator
Francis Boggus -- Community Development Consultant with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Des Moines
Arnold Daniels -- Community Activist, NAACP member
Jacquie Easley -- Health care professional, chair of the Des Moines Planning and Zoning Commission
Rama Muzo -- President and CEO of Intercultural Center of Iowa
Matthea Little Smith -- State Trainer for National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), NAACP Health Committee member
Quad City Times Editorial Board Endorses Amy Klobuchar for President
Quad-City Times: Editorial: Klobuchar is the One
Quad City Times Editorial Board
Amy Klobuchar earned our endorsement. https://qctimes.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-klobuchar-is-the-one/article_e055172a-bda2-5cce-8899-82f41f807a52.html
She won it from an editorial board that, like much of the electorate just two weeks away from the Iowa caucuses, has struggled with how to assess the large field of candidates vying for the Democrats' 2020 presidential nomination.
How did she do it?
She won our confidence with her three-term record in the U.S. Senate representing the state of Minnesota.
She won our confidence with the way she's campaigned in Iowa for more than a year.
She won our endorsement by convincing us that, among her rivals, in this divided political culture, she is the best person to push through an agenda that will better the lives of millions of Americans, including those of us who live in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
Throughout much of the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, Klobuchar has been dubbed a moderate.
To many, this is a moniker that implies slow incrementalism.
In truth, that label belies Amy Klobuchar's vision and her record.
Only in this campaign could it be considered incrementalist to want to make community college, the engine of progress for so many middle-class Americans, free.
Only in this campaign could somebody with a plan to open the door to health care for millions of Americans through Medicare or Medicaid be dubbed just a moderate.
Only in this campaign could somebody with a plan to curb fossil fuel emissions by 2050 be labeled middle-of-the-road.
In truth, Amy Klobuchar is a progressive realist.
So, what does she offer?
On health care, she offers a plan (not a "pipe dream," as she puts it) to vastly improve coverage with a public option for people priced out of the private insurance market. Her expansion of public health programs to millions more Americans would be historic.
On climate change, she is as aggressive as any of her rivals on the things that matter most. Her plan would expand renewable fuels and put a price on carbon to lower emissions to net zero by 2050. She would, in her first 100 days, rejoin the community of nations fighting global warming, restore plans to cut emissions at power plants, and make our cars more fuel efficient.
Klobuchar offers an aggressive, wide-ranging agenda in those first 100 days to improve the daily lives of Americans.
She would protect health care coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions. She would grant the FDA authority to import less expensive prescription drugs from Canada, easing the burden on Americans. She would expand VA health benefits for women and propose new investments for public education to help teachers, poor students and those with disabilities. She would launch new initiatives to address mental health and addiction issues in this country.
Klobuchar offers ideas to expand paid family leave to up to 12 weeks and raise worker pay.
She has a real infrastructure plan.
On foreign policy, she offers a clear vision and sensible approach. She would turn again to diplomacy. She would stand up to China but take a more sensible approach. She recognizes the value of foreign aid and trade to our international alliances. She would work immediately to beef up cybersecurity.
Klobuchar's agenda impressed us, but it wasn't what impressed us most.
This editorial board has had the opportunity to sit down with nearly a dozen candidates, most of them for an hour and some for longer. We heard lots of plans, lots of debate. We got to hear how each would work to get their ideas through Congress.
Klobuchar convinced us she is the one who is most likely to be successful.
A Minnesotan and former prosecutor, Klobuchar is a pragmatist. But she also struck us as a good strategist. She knows well the members of the Senate, where so many good ideas have been stymied. She convinced us she knows the levers to pull, the incentives to offer, and where to turn to get the votes needed for success.
She's led on dozens of bipartisan proposals that have cleared Congress. She worked on the bipartisan immigration bill that cleared the Senate in 2013. The legislation failed in the House, but Senate passage was a significant achievement in itself.
During this campaign, Klobuchar has tried to persuade Democrats she can beat President Donald Trump; that she appeals to voters who live in places like rural and rust-belt America who turned to Trump in 2016.
We think there's something to that. (We would note we won't make a general election endorsement until later this year. But if Democrats are basing their decision on who can win in the fall, it's hard to beat Klobuchar's appeal.)
More importantly to us, Amy Klobuchar is somebody who offers the most hope among the Democratic candidates that progress isn't just a campaign slogan destined to die in the harsh reality of Washington politics.
We believe she can actually cut through the obstacles and move forward; that her Midwestern grit is a reason for hope.
We endorse Amy Klobuchar.
Amy Klobuchar Returns to Iowa on January 18-20, 2020 ***Updated
Amy Klobuchar Returns to Iowa Over Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend
Senator Klobuchar To Campaign In Eastern and Central Iowa from January 18 - 20 ***Updated
DES MOINES, IA — Following her strong debate performance in Des Moines on Tuesday, Senator Amy Klobuchar will return to Iowa January 18-20 for forums, town halls, and community events in the central and eastern areas of the state.
On Saturday, January 18, Amy will participate in the Iowa State Educators Association (ISEA) forum in West Des Moines at 9:25 AM. She will later host town halls in Coralville, Clinton and Davenport.
On Sunday, January 19, Amy will host a town hall in Marion. She will participate in the Citizens United at 10 Forum in Des Moines at 4:30 PM. She will later visit the Urban Dreams Block Party and host a town hall in Waukee.
On Monday, January 20, Amy will participate in the Black & Brown Forum in Des Moines, and will host town hall in Ames and Mason City.
ISEA Forum -- Senator Klobuchar speaks at 9:25 AM
Sheraton West Des Moines
1800 50th St. West Des Moines, IA 50266
Coralville Town Hall -- Doors open at 11:30 AM, program begins at 12:00 PM
Oakdale Ballroom, Coralville Marriott
Coralville, IA 52241 https://www.mobilize.us/iowaforamy/event/203042/
Clinton Town Hall -- Doors open at 3:15 PM, program begins at 3:45 PM
**DUE TO WEATHER -- NEW LOCATION**
Rastrelli's
The Avanti Room
238 Main Ave
Clinton, IA 52732 https://www.mobilize.us/iowaforamy/event/203038/
Davenport Town Hall -- Doors open at 6:30 PM, program begins at 7:00 PM
Mississippi Room, RiverCenter
136 E. 3rd Street
Davenport, IA 52801 https://www.mobilize.us/iowaforamy/event/203259/
Marion Town Hall
Details forthcoming
Citizens United at 10 Forum -- Senator Klobuchar to speak at 4:30 PM
322 E Court Ave
Urban Dreams Block Party -- Doors open at 5:00 PM, program begins at 5:30 PM
Des Moines, IA 50314 https://www.mobilize.us/iowaforamy/event/204188/
Waukee Town Hall -- Doors open at 6:30 PM, program begins at 7:00 PM
Apex Center, Waukee Innovation & Learning Center
295 SE Ashworth Rd
Waukee, IA 50263 https://www.mobilize.us/iowaforamy/event/203607/
Ames Town Hall -- Doors open at 1:30 PM, program begins at 2:00 PM
Ames Public Library
515 Douglas Ave
Ames, IA 50010 https://www.mobilize.us/iowaforamy/event/204152/
Brown & Black Forum -- Senator Klobuchar to speak at 3:45 PM
**UPDATED TIME**
730 3rd St
Mason City Town Hall -- Doors open at 5:30 PM, program begins at 6:00 PM
112 2nd St SE
Note: Events subject to change based on U.S. Senate schedule.
Andrew Yang Continues 17-Day Bus Tour on January 24-26, 2020
New Hampshire State Senator Martha Hennessey Endorses Pete Buttigieg
Michael Bennet Launches New NH TV Ad
Eleven Mayors from Across the Country Endorse Mike Bloomberg for President
Joe Biden to Travel to Iowa on January 25-26, 2020
Eleven Iowa Leaders Endorse Joe Biden for President
Michael Bennet Heads to New Hampshire on Sunday, January 26, 2020
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg Endorses Joe Biden for President
Republican State Party Websites
Democratic State Party Websites

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