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Amy klobuchar.

• Democratic Party

Candidate, U.S. Senate Minnesota

2007 - Present

Compensation

(2012) $681,014

November 6, 2018

August 13, 2024

Yale University

University of Chicago Law School

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Amy Klobuchar ( Democratic Party ) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Minnesota. She assumed office on January 3, 2007. Her current term ends on January 3, 2025.

Klobuchar ( Democratic Party ) is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Minnesota. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on August 13, 2024 .

Klobuchar endorsed 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on March 2, 2020. [1]

Klobuchar was mentioned as a possible nominee to replace former United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia , who passed away on February 13, 2016. Ultimately, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland . [2]

Before her election to the U.S. Senate, Klobuchar was an attorney in Hennepin County, Minnesota. [3]

As of a 2014 analysis of multiple outside rankings , Klobuchar is an average Democratic member of Congress, meaning she will vote with the Democratic Party on the majority of bills.

• 1 Biography
• 2.1 Possible 2016 SCOTUS nominee
• 3.1.1 2017-2018
• 3.1.2 2015-2016
• 3.1.3 2013-2014
• 3.1.4 2011-2012
• 4.1 Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023
• 4.2 Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress
• 4.3 Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023
• 4.4 Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020
• 4.5.1.1 Trade Act of 2015
• 4.5.1.2 2016 Budget proposal
• 4.5.1.3 Defense spending authorization
• 4.5.1.4 2015 budget
• 4.5.2.1 Iran nuclear deal
• 4.5.3.1 USA FREEDOM Act of 2015
• 4.5.3.2 Cyber security
• 4.5.4 Immigration
• 4.6 113th Congress
• 4.7.1 American response in Syria
• 4.7.2 John Brennan CIA nomination
• 4.8.1 Government shutdown
• 4.8.2 No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013
• 4.9.1 Mexico-U.S. border
• 4.10.1 Violence Against Women (2013)
• 4.11.1 Fiscal Cliff
• 5.1 Democratic Wing Ding appearance
• 5.2 Congresswomen cooperation
• 6.1 Possible 2016 Democratic vice presidential candidate
• 6.2 United Arab Emirates comments
• 7.1.1 Endorsements
• 7.2.1 Presidency
• 7.5 Full history
• 9 Campaign finance summary
• 10 Notable endorsements
• 11.1 PGI: Change in net worth
• 11.2 PGI: Donation Concentration Metric
• 12.1 Ideology and leadership
• 12.2 Like-minded colleagues
• 12.3 Lifetime voting record
• 12.4 Congressional staff salaries
• 12.5.1 2013
• 12.5.2 2012
• 12.5.3 2011
• 12.6.1 2014
• 12.6.2 2013
• 13 Ballot measure activity
• 14 Personal
• 15 See also
• 16 External links
• 17 Footnotes

Klobuchar was born in 1960 and grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota. She earned her B.A. graduating magna cum laude from Yale University in 1982, and she received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1985. While attending Yale, Klobuchar interned for Vice President Walter Mondale (D). [4]

Prior to running for public office, Klobuchar was a partner at the law firms of Dorsey & Whitney and Gray Plant Mooty. [3] She was elected Hennepin County attorney in 1998 with 50.4 percent of the vote and re-elected in 2002 with no opposition. [5] She served as county attorney until 2006, the year she was first elected to the U.S. Senate.

Klobuchar won that election with 58 percent of the vote, and she was re-elected with over 60 percent support in 2012 and 2018. In 2014, Senate Democrats elected Klobuchar as chair of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, which works with advocacy groups, policy experts, and intergovernmental organizations to shape policy positions. [6] [7]

Klobuchar has published two books: Uncovering the Dome —based off her Yale senior essay on the politics surrounding the construction of the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome—in 1986 and the memoir The Senator Next Door: A Memoir from the Heartland in 2015. [8]

Below is an abbreviated version of Klobuchar's academic, professional, and political career: [9]

• 2007-Present: U.S. Senator from Minnesota
• 1999-2006: Hennepin County Attorney
• Partner at Dorsey & Whitney and Gray Plant Mooty law firms
• 1985: Graduated from the University of Chicago with a Juris Doctor
• 1982: Graduated from Yale University 1982, magna cum laude

Possible 2016 SCOTUS nominee

Prior to President Barack Obama 's nomination of Merrick Garland , Klobuchar was mentioned as a possible nominee to replace former United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia , who died on February 13, 2016. [2]

Committee assignments

U.s. senate.

Klobuchar was assigned to the following committees:

• Joint Committee on Printing , Chairman
• Joint Committee on the Library , Vice Chairman
• Joint Economic Committee
• Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
• Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, and Natural Resources
• Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research
• Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy
• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• Communications, Media, and Broadband
• Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security
• Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports
• Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion
• Committee on Judiciary
• Committee on Rules and Administration , Chairman
• Joint Committee on Printing , Chair
• Joint Committee on the Library , Vice Chair
• Committee on the Judiciary
• Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights , Chair
• Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety
• Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
• Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
• Committee on Rules and Administration , Chair
• Joint Committee on Printing
• Committee on Rules and Administration , Ranking Member
• Joint Committee on the Library

At the beginning of the 115th Congress , Klobuchar was assigned to the following committees: [10]

• Committee on Rules and Administration

Klobuchar served on the following Senate committees: [11]

• Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resources
• Subcommittee on Livestock, Marketing and Agriculture Security
• Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
• Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance
• Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
• Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Ranking Member
• Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest
• Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts
• Rules and Administration Committee

Klobuchar served on the following Senate committees: [12]

• Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Marketing and Agriculture Security
• Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth and Energy Innovation
• Subcommittee on Science and Space
• Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion
• Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
• Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action
• Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
• Bankruptcy and the Courts subcommittee
• Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights subcommittee Chairman
• United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

Klobuchar served on the following Senate committees: [13]

• Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
• Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee
• Judiciary Committee Committee

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here .

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023

The 118th United States Congress began on January 3, 2023, at which point Republicans held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-212), and Democrats held the majority in the U.S. Senate (51-49). Joe Biden (D) was the president and Kamala Harris (D) was the vice president. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress

Key votes: 116th congress, 2019-2020.

• 114th Congress

The first session of the 114th Congress enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session. In the second session, the 114th Congress enacted 133 out of 3,159 introduced bills (4.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 7.0 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. [41] [42] The Senate confirmed 18,117 out of 21,815 executive nominations received (83 percent). For more information pertaining to Klobuchar's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections. [43]

Economic and fiscal

Trade act of 2015.

2016 Budget proposal

Defense spending authorization.

2015 budget

Foreign affairs, iran nuclear deal, usa freedom act of 2015, cyber security, immigration.

• 113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. [77] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Klobuchar's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections. [78]

National security

American response in syria.

Klobuchar released the following statement regarding the situation in Syria: “The president is right to consult with Congress and obtain approval before taking military action in Syria. The decision to allow Congress to debate will give us the ability to carefully consider the evidence and consult with military officials before making a decision. I continue to strongly believe that we should not have American troops on the ground in Syria. I also urge the president to continue to work with our international allies.” [79]

John Brennan CIA nomination

Government shutdown.

According to a spokesperson for Klobuchar, she "is giving her pay during the government shutdown to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, since lifesaving NIH medical research is being slashed during the shutdown. [83]

No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013

Mexico-u.s. border, social issues, violence against women (2013), previous congressional sessions, fiscal cliff, democratic wing ding appearance.

Klobuchar made an appearance at the 2013 Democratic Wing Ding, a fundraiser in Northern Iowa. She was the keynote speaker, and she criticized House Republicans for not passing the farm bill and the immigration bill. She specifically criticized Iowa's 4th Congressional District 's Republican Representative Steve King for his opposition to the immigration bill. Klobuchar added that she partly attended the fundraiser to support Iowa Democrat Bruce Braley , who ran for Senator Tom Harkin 's seat in 2014. [88]

Congresswomen cooperation

In December 2013, Klobuchar said that the close friendships between her fellow congresswomen helped resolve the federal shutdown. She noted that the women had dinner together every other month. She said, "We are really good friends and when people talk about the days of old and they miss the days that people used to work together, we’ve got that going with the 20 female senators." [89] -->

Noteworthy events

Possible 2016 democratic vice presidential candidate.

Klobuchar was mentioned as a possible Democratic vice presidential candidate. On July 22, 2016, Hillary Clinton announced that she had selected U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) as her running mate. [90]

United Arab Emirates comments

In December 2013, Klobuchar criticized the United Arab Emirates for holding an American over a mock documentary. Shezanne Cassim was a University of Minnesota graduate who moved to Dubai in 2006. He made and posted a satirical video online that made fun of the youth culture in Dubai. Cassim was arrested in April 2012 and charged with violating cybercrimes laws and endangering national security. [91] He pleaded not guilty but was sentenced to one year in a maximum-security prison. Klobuchar defended Cassim, saying, "I figure if Mick Jagger can play Abu Dhabi, these guys shouldn’t be in jail for putting a video up. If he’s not home by the time of that Rolling Stones concert, they’ve got a problem. They can’t have Mick Jagger up there singing his songs and then have this guy in jail." [92]

Klobuchar worked with U.S. State Department to seek Cassim's release. He was freed in January 2014 after spending nine months behind bars, and returned to Minnesota just six weeks before the Rolling Stones concert. [93] [94]

See also:  United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2024

General election

The primary will occur on August 13, 2024. The general election will occur on November 5, 2024. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for u.s. senate minnesota.

Incumbent Amy Klobuchar and Derek Logan are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota on August 13, 2024.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for u.s. senate minnesota.

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota on August 13, 2024.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here .

Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) won the presidential election on November 3, 2020. Biden received 306 electoral votes and President Donald Trump (R) received 232 electoral votes. In the national popular vote, Biden received 81.2 million votes and Trump received 74.2 million votes. Klobuchar formally announced she was running for president on February 10, 2019. [95] She ended her presidential campaign on March 2, 2020. [96]

Ballotpedia compiled the following resources about Klobuchar and the 2020 presidential election:

• News stories about the 2020 presidential election;
• An overview of key national and state campaign staffers ;
• Endorsements from politicians, public figures, and organizations;
• An overview of candidate campaign travel ; and
• A list of other presidential candidates who ran for election.

Click here for Klobuchar's 2020 presidential campaign overview.

Amy Klobuchar (D) presidential primary results in 2020

General election for u.s. senate minnesota.

Incumbent Amy Klobuchar defeated Jim Newberger , Dennis Schuller , and Paula Overby in the general election for U.S. Senate Minnesota on November 6, 2018.

Incumbent Amy Klobuchar defeated Steve Carlson , Stephen Emery , David Robert Groves , and Leonard Richards in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

Jim Newberger defeated Merrill Anderson , Rae Hart Anderson , and Roque De La Fuente in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Robert Barnheiser (R)

Klobuchar ran for re-election in 2012. [97] She defeated Jack Shepard , Darryl Stanton and Dick Franson in the Democratic primary. She defeated Republican Kurt Bills , Independence Party candidate Stephen Williams , candidate Timothy Davis , and Minnesota Open Progressives candidate Michael Cavlan in the November general election. [98]

Full history

Campaign themes, ballotpedia survey responses.

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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Campaign finance summary

Notable endorsements.

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage and endorsements scopes.

Personal Gain Index

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants. It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org , Klobuchar's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $400,028 and $1,225,000. That averages to $812,514 , which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic senators in 2012 of $13,566,333. Klobuchar ranked as the 69th most wealthy senator in 2012. [100] Between 2006 and 2012, Klobuchar's calculated net worth [101] decreased by an average of 3 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent. [102]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org , Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Klobuchar received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 2005-2014, 26.67 percent of Klobuchar's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below. [105]

Ideology and leadership

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack , Klobuchar was a moderate Democratic leader as of July 2014. [106] Klobuchar was rated as a " rank-and-file Democrat " in June 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party. [107]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Klobuchar missed 21 of 2,765 roll call votes from January 2007 to September 2015. This amounts to 0.8 percent, which is better than the median of 1.6 percent among current senators as of September 2015. [108]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Klobuchar paid her congressional staff a total of $2,404,347 in 2011. She ranked 7th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic senatorial staff salaries and ranked 30th overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Minnesota ranked 46th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011. [109]

National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

Klobuchar ranked 29th in the liberal rankings in 2013. [110]

Klobuchar ranked 34th in the liberal rankings in 2012. [111]

Klobuchar ranked 34th in the liberal rankings in 2011. [112]

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

Klobuchar voted with the Democratic Party 96.2 percent of the time, which ranked 19th among the 53 Senate Democratic members as of July 2014. [113]

Klobuchar voted with the Democratic Party 95.5 percent of the time, which ranked 24th among the 52 Senate Democratic members as of June 2013. [114]

Ballot measure activity

The following table details Klobuchar's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update. Klobuchar is married to John Bessler. They have a daughter named Abigail. [116]

• United States Senate

2024 Elections

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External links

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• ↑ The New York Times , "Buttigieg and Klobuchar Endorse Biden, Aiming to Slow Sanders," March 2, 2020
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 San Antonio-Express News , "Senior U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia found dead at West Texas ranch," accessed February 13, 2016
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 Biographical Guide to Members of Congress , "Amy Klobuchar," accessed July 16, 2019
• ↑ Faribault Daily News , "Mondale backs a Klobuchar bid," February 6, 2019
• ↑ Our Campaigns , "Hennepin County Attorney," accessed July 16, 2019
• ↑ MinnPost , "Senate Democrats elect Klobuchar to leadership role," November 13, 2014
• ↑ Senate Democrats , "Democratic Steering & Outreach Committee," accessed July 16, 2019
• ↑ MinnPost , "Klobuchar’s ‘The Senator Next Door’ centers on the people who shaped her politics," August 28, 2015
• ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress , "Amy Klobuchar," accessed February 4, 2015
• ↑ United States Senate , "Committee Assignments of the 115th Congress," accessed January 19, 2017
• ↑ United States Senate , "Committee Assignments," accessed February 4, 2015
• ↑ Congressional Quarterly , "Senate Committee List" accessed January 18, 2013
• ↑ U.S. Senate Official Website , "Committee Assignments," accessed November 2, 2011
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2670 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.6363 - Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5860 - Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3746 - Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.J.Res.7 - Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020." accessed February 23, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.J.Res.44 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives relating to "Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached 'Stabilizing Braces'"" accessed February 28, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.J.Res.30 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to 'Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights'." accessed February 23, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3684 - Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.1319 - American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5376 - Inflation Reduction Act of 2022," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.1605 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.7776 - James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.3373 - Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.4346 - Chips and Science Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3755 - Women's Health Protection Act of 2021," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2471 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.8404 - Respect for Marriage Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.6833 - Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.937 - COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3076 - Postal Service Reform Act of 2022," accessed January 23, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.2938 - Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5305 - Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act," accessed January 23, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.Res.24 - Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.350 - Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022," accessed January 23, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.Con.Res.14 - A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2022 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2023 through 2031.," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5746 - Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2617 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 113th Congress," accessed April 29, 2015
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 114th Congress," accessed January 5, 2017
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress," April 13, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 1314," accessed May 25, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "H.R. 1314 (Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act)," accessed May 25, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "Roll Call for HR 2146," June 24, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Senate approves fast-track, sending trade bill to White House," June 24, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Obama signs trade bills," June 29, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.Con.Res.11," accessed May 5, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany S. Con. Res. 11)," accessed May 5, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Republicans pass a budget, flexing power of majority," accessed May 5, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Redone defense policy bill sails through House," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S. 1356," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1356)," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 618," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 1735)," accessed October 6, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 239," accessed May 27, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R. 1735," accessed May 27, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1314)," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 579," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 1191," accessed May 8, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "H.R. 1191," accessed May 8, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on McConnell Amdt. No. 2640 )," accessed September 10, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HJ Res 61," accessed September 10, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on McConnell Amdt. No. 2640 )," accessed September 16, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on McConnell Amdt. No. 2640 )," accessed September 17, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.Amdt.2656 to S.Amdt.2640," accessed September 17, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on McConnell Amdt. No. 2656)," accessed September 17, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2048," accessed May 26, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 2048)," accessed June 2, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S 754," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (S. 754, As Amended)," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S 2146," accessed November 2, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to S. 2146)," accessed November 2, 2015
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 112th Congress," accessed September 5, 2013
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 113th Congress," accessed March 4, 2014
• ↑ Washington Post , "What the potential 2016 presidential candidates are saying about Syria," accessed September 2, 2013
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "PN 48 - Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
• ↑ The Washington Post , "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
• ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R. 2775 As Amended," accessed October 31, 2013
• ↑ Washington Post , "Which lawmakers will refuse their pay during the shutdown?" accessed October 2, 2013
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "HR 325 - To Ensure the Complete and Timely Payment of the Obligations of the United States Government Until May 19, 2013 - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "S Amdt 1197 - Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "S 47 - Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
• ↑ U.S. Senate , "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
• ↑ Sioux City Journal , "Minnesota senator blasts House Republicans," accessed August 19, 2013
• ↑ Politico , "Klobuchar: Women on the Hill 'really good friends'," accessed December 4, 2013
• ↑ The New York Times , "Hillary Clinton selects Tim Kaine, a popular senator from a swing state, as running mate," July 22, 2016
• ↑ The Guardian , "American begins one-year prison sentence in UAE for satirical video," December 23, 2013
• ↑ Politico , "Amy Klobuchar cites Rolling Stones in United Arab Emirates fight," accessed December 27, 2013
• ↑ Star Tribune , "Minnesotan jailed in U.A.E. returns home," January 13, 2014
• ↑ MPR News , "Out of Dubai prison and home, Shezanne Cassim describes his ordeal," January 9, 2014
• ↑ Axios , "Amy Klobuchar enters the 2020 presidential race," February 10, 2019
• ↑ USA Today , "With her 'Klomentum' gone, Amy Klobuchar ends her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination," March 2, 2020
• ↑ Minnesota Public Radio , "Klobuchar hopes for 'grace period' before 2012 campaign," accessed January 5, 2012
• ↑ ABC News, "General Election Results 2012-Minnesota," November 7, 2012
• ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk , "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006," accessed November 2, 2011
• ↑ OpenSecrets , "Klobuchar, (D-MN), 2012," accessed February 18, 2014
• ↑ This figure represents the average annual percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or their first year in office (as noted in the chart below) to 2012, divided by the number of years calculated.
• ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
• ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
• ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
• ↑ OpenSecrets.org , "Sen. Amy Klobuchar," accessed September 17, 2014
• ↑ GovTrack , "Amy Klobuchar," accessed July 21, 2014
• ↑ OpenCongress , "Amy Klobuchar," accessed September 23, 2015
• ↑ GovTrack , "Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D)," accessed September 23, 2015
• ↑ LegiStorm , "Amy Klobuchar"
• ↑ National Journal , "2013 Congressional Vote Ratings," accessed July 21, 2014
• ↑ National Journal , "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," accessed February 26, 2013
• ↑ National Journal , "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012
• ↑ OpenCongress , "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
• ↑ Star Tribune , "Walz opposes Minneapolis ballot question to replace Police Department," August 26, 2021
• ↑ Official Senate Page , "About," accessed November 2, 2011
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U.S. Calls for Breakup of Ticketmaster Owner

Accused of violating antitrust laws, Live Nation Entertainment faces a fight that could reshape the multibillion-dollar live music industry.

U.S. Launches Antitrust Lawsuit Against Live Nation

The justice department sued the concert giant, which owns ticketmaster, calling for the company to be broken up due to claims that it maintained a monopoly in the live entertainment industry..

We alleged that Live Nation has illegally monopolized markets across the live concert industry in the United States for far too long. It is time to break it up. Earlier today, the Department of Justice, joined by 29 states and the District of Columbia, sued Live Nation Entertainment and its wholly owned subsidiary, Ticketmaster, for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. In recent years, Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s exorbitant fees and technological failures have been criticized by fans and artists alike. But we are not here today because Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s conduct is inconvenient or frustrating. We are here because, as we allege, that conduct is anticompetitive and illegal. Our complaint makes clear what happens when a monopolist dedicates its resources to entrenching its monopoly power and insulating itself from competition rather than investing in better products and services.

By David McCabe and Ben Sisario

David McCabe reports on tech policy from Washington. Ben Sisario reports on the music industry from New York.

The Justice Department on Thursday sued Live Nation Entertainment, the concert giant that owns Ticketmaster, asking a court to break up the company over claims it illegally maintained a monopoly in the live entertainment industry.

In the lawsuit, which is joined by 29 states and the District of Columbia, the government accuses Live Nation of leveraging its sprawling empire to dominate the industry by locking venues into exclusive ticketing contracts, pressuring artists to use its services and threatening its rivals with financial retribution.

Those tactics, the government argues, have resulted in higher ticket prices for consumers and have stifled innovation and competition throughout the industry. The suit asks the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to order “the divestiture of, at minimum, Ticketmaster,” and to prevent Live Nation from engaging in anticompetitive practices.

“It is time for fans and artists to stop paying the price for Live Nation’s monopoly,” Merrick B. Garland, the attorney general, said on Thursday. “It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster. The American people are ready for it.”

The suit is part of a broader push by American regulators to rein in corporate might in the internet age, testing century-old antitrust laws against big companies’ power over consumers. The Justice Department has sued Apple and brought two cases against Google, while the Federal Trade Commission has brought antitrust suits against Amazon and Meta .

The Justice Department’s latest lawsuit is a direct challenge to the business of Live Nation, a colossus of the entertainment industry and a force in the lives of musicians and fans alike. The case, filed 14 years after the government approved Live Nation’s merger with Ticketmaster , has the potential to transform the multibillion-dollar concert industry.

Live Nation’s scale and reach far exceed those of any competitor, encompassing concert promotion, ticketing, artist management and the operation of hundreds of venues and festivals around the world. “Live Nation has its tentacles in virtually every aspect of the live entertainment industry,” the government says in its complaint, which runs more than 120 pages.

According to the Justice Department, Live Nation controls around 60 percent of concert promotions at major venues around the United States and roughly 80 percent of primary ticketing at major concert venues.

Lawmakers, fans and competitors have accused the company of engaging in practices that harm rivals and drive up ticket prices and fees. At a congressional hearing early last year, prompted by a Taylor Swift tour presale on Ticketmaster that left millions of people unable to buy tickets, senators from both parties called Live Nation a monopoly .

In its complaint, the Justice Department refers to the many add-on fees as “essentially a ‘Ticketmaster Tax’ that ultimately raise the price fans pay.”

In response to the suit, Live Nation denied that it was a monopoly and said that breaking it up would not result in lower ticket prices or fees. According to the company, artists and sports teams are primarily responsible for setting ticket prices, and other business partners, like venues, take the lion’s share of surcharges.

In a statement, Dan Wall, Live Nation’s executive vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs, said that the Justice Department’s suit followed “intense political pressure.”

The government’s case, Mr. Wall added, “ignores everything that is actually responsible for higher ticket prices, from increasing production costs to artist popularity, to 24/7 online ticket scalping that reveals the public’s willingness to pay far more than primary tickets cost.”

The company also says its market share for ticketing has decreased in the recent years as it competes with rivals to win business.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, who led the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Live Nation last year, cheered the Justice Department’s suit, including its request to break up the company.

“Live Nation keeps getting bigger and bigger, dominating more and more,” Ms. Klobuchar said in an interview after the suit was filed. “The fact that they’re coming out big and asking for a breakup, I think, is the right thing to do as a remedy.”

Read the lawsuit against Live Nation

The Justice Department called for the company, which owns Ticketmaster, to be broken up.

The Justice Department allowed Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, to buy Ticketmaster in 2010 under certain conditions laid out in a legal agreement. If venues did not use Ticketmaster, for example, Live Nation could not threaten to pull concert tours.

In 2019, however, the Justice Department found that Live Nation had violated those terms, and it modified and extended its agreement with the company.

Among recently filed antitrust suits, the complaint against Live Nation stands out for specifically asking for a breakup. In other cases the government has chosen not to ask for a specific fix until it sees how a court rules on its claims. But Live Nation’s ownership of Ticketmaster is central to the Justice Department’s new case.

William Kovacic, a former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, said Wednesday that a lawsuit against the company would be a rebuke of earlier antitrust officials who had allowed the company to grow to its current size.

“It’s another way of saying earlier policy failed and failed badly,” he said.

The Justice Department argues in its lawsuit Thursday that Live Nation exploited relationships with partners to keep competitors out of the market. It requests a jury trial.

A key piece of the Justice Department’s case hinges on Live Nation’s interrelated businesses. Because it puts on concerts, tickets them, seeks sponsors for them and then manages artists who perform them, it can use each piece to benefit the others. That makes it harder for rivals to compete and hurts the ability of new competitors to emerge, the suit argues.

The government’s complaint argued that Live Nation threatened venues with losing access to popular tours if they did not use Ticketmaster. That threat could be explicit or simply an implication communicated through intermediaries, the government said, adding it could also block artists who did not work with the company from using its venues.

Additionally, Live Nation has acquired a number of smaller companies — something Live Nation described in internal documents as eliminating its biggest threats, according to the government.

One such deal was for AC Entertainment, a regional concert promoter that had a role in Bonnaroo, a popular music and arts festival in Tennessee. Live Nation pursued a deal to buy it in 2016 even though the company had doubts about the economics of the acquisition, according to the complaint.

A senior Live Nation executive said the deal “feels more like a defensive move” against AEG, Live Nation’s biggest competitor as a nationwide concert promoter, according to the complaint.

The Justice Department also accused Live Nation of anticompetitive behavior with Oak View Group, a venue company co-founded by Live Nation’s former executive chairman. That company has avoided bidding against Live Nation when it comes to working with artists, and it has influenced concert venues to sign deals with Ticketmaster, the government argues.

In 2016, Live Nation’s chief executive complained in an email that Oak View Group had offered to promote an artist who had previously worked with Live Nation. Oak View Group backed down, according to the government.

“Our guys got a bit ahead,” its chief executive replied in an email, according to the lawsuit. “All know we don’t promote and we only do tours with Live Nation.”

A representative of Oak View Group declined to comment on the suit.

The suit also highlights differences between the concert business in the United States, where venues tend to have exclusive deals with ticketing companies, and elsewhere in the world, where venues have “open” deals allowing competition between those selling tickets.

“Today, fans pay more in fees associated with live music concert tickets in America than other parts of the world,” according to the complaint.

The Justice Department’s latest investigation of Live Nation began in 2022. Live Nation simultaneously ramped up its lobbying efforts, spending $2.4 million on federal lobbying in 2023, up from $1.25 million in 2021, according to filings available through the nonpartisan website OpenSecrets.

In April, the company co-hosted a lavish party in Washington ahead of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner that featured a performance by the country singer Jelly Roll and cocktail napkins that displayed positive facts about Live Nation’s impact on the economy, like the billions it says it pays to artists.

Under pressure from the White House, Live Nation said in June that it would begin to show prices for shows at venues it owned that included all charges, including extra fees. The Federal Trade Commission has proposed a rule that would ban hidden fees.

The Justice Department’s suit drew praise from some fans.

Victoria Addison, a lifelong Swift fan, said she viewed Live Nation’s hold over the industry as the reason she was unable to get tickets to the star’s Eras Tour. “I love Taylor so much but just couldn’t justify spending thousands more for tickets,” Ms. Addison said.

“It’s about time,” said Justin Ward, who runs a blog about live music. “I have no idea why the original merger was allowed to go through.”

Julia Jacobs contributed reporting from New York.

David McCabe covers tech policy. He joined The Times from Axios in 2019. More about David McCabe

Ben Sisario covers the music industry. He has been writing for The Times since 1998. More about Ben Sisario

Inside the Biden Administration

Here’s the latest news and analysis from washington..

War in Ukraine:  President Biden barred Ukraine from firing U.S. weapons into Russia to “avoid World War III.” After a sobering trip to Kyiv, Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants to ease that rule .

Live Nation:  The Justice Department is suing Live Nation Entertainment , the owner of Ticketmaster, asking a court to break up the company over claims it illegally maintained a monopoly in the live entertainment industry.

Relations With Kenya:  During the Kenyan president’s state visit , Biden will designate the East African nation as a “major non-NATO ally.”

Hidden Fees:  Biden’s effort to crack down on “junk fees”  from airlines and credit-card companies is doubling as a war against inflation.

Student Loans:  Biden announced the cancellation of another $7.7 billion in student loans , building on his strategy of chipping away at college debt by tweaking existing programs.