Klobuchar says she's moving on to New Hampshire 'no matter what'

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar on impeachment, expectations for Iowa caucuses

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar joins Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday.'

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A strong finish in Iowa’s caucuses is crucial for Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s uphill climb to win the Democratic presidential nomination.

And some political pundits have spotlighted that a less than stellar showing in Monday night’s caucuses, which kick off the presidential nomination calendar, could spell doom for the former county prosecutor and lawmaker from neighboring Minnesota.

But in an exclusive interview Sunday on ‘Fox News Sunday,’ the Democratic White House hopeful vowed: “I’m going to New Hampshire no matter what.”

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New Hampshire votes eight days after Iowa and holds the first primary in the race for the presidential nominations.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota shakes hands with voters after a rally in Des Moines, IA on Feb. 1, 2020

Klobuchar’s poll numbers in Iowa have steadily edged up over the past month, to crack double digits. But she’s still below 15 percent -- which candidates need to reach at caucus precincts across the state to become viable, in order to win delegates in the march toward the Democratic National Convention in July.

“I think we have to do well here, there’s been a lot going, having been gone for the last few weeks that I didn’t expect to happen,” she said.

What Klobuchar was alluding to was the Senate’s impeachment trial of President Trump, which sidetracked her and three 2020 rivals -- Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Michael Bennet of Colorado -- who, along with the colleagues in the chamber, are serving as jurors in the trial.

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With a break in the trial’s action, Klobuchar rushed back to Iowa this weekend.

She told a crowd of more than 750 in Des Moines on Saturday night that “I’m trying to make up for missing 10 days in 2 days."

But regardless of her finish in Iowa, Klobuchar is pledging to move on to New Hampshire, where she’s already qualified for the next presidential debate on Feb. 7.

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“I am on the debate stage,” she said. And she pointed to her endorsements by three major newspapers in the Granite State

“So of course I’m going there, we have a strong operation there -- and then going beyond,” Klobuchar added.