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As the 2020 presidential election draws closer, the campaign of Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar is gaining some big-name endorsements from the tech industry Here’s why.
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Big Tech’s Influence
While Amy Klobuchar may not be the most progressive candidate in the 2020 field, she is certainly the candidate that big tech is throwing its weight behind. Companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook have all donated to her campaign, and she has been endorsed by many tech executives.Why is big tech backing her?
Big Tech’s political clout
Big Tech is flexing its political clout in the 2020 presidential election, with employees of companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook donating millions of dollars to candidates. One of the most popular candidates among Big Tech employees is Amy Klobuchar, a moderate Democrat from Minnesota.
Klobuchar has received more donations from employees of Big tech companies than any other candidate in the 2020 race, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. Employees of Amazon have donated $296,000 to her campaign, while employees of Google have donated $261,000. Facebook employees have given Klobuchar $174,000.
The support from Big Tech employees for Klobuchar is notable because she is not seen as a particularly close ally of the industry. In Congress, she has been a critic of tech giants like Amazon and Facebook, and has called for tougher regulation of the industry. However, she has also expressed support for worker-friendly policies like paid family leave and raising the minimum wage – which may be why she is seen as a more palatable choice than some other candidates by Big Tech employees.
Klobuchar’s haul from Big Tech represents a small fraction of her overall campaign war chest – she has raised nearly $70 million total – but it’s still significant. And it’s a sign that Big Tech is becoming an increasingly important player in presidential politics.
Big Tech’s money
Big Tech is slamming the brakes on its support for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, freezing donations to her presidential campaign and instead diverting its money to other Democrats running in the 2020 primary.
The move is a dramatic turnaround for the Minnesota Democrat, who had been one of the top recipients of financial support from employees of major tech firms such as Google, Amazon and Facebook.
In the final three months of 2019 alone, Klobuchar’s campaign raked in more than $330,000 from employees of those companies, more than any other Democratic presidential candidate.
But now, with the primaries heating up and no clear front-runner emerging, Big Tech is making a calculated shift to hedge its bets and spread its cash around to a wider pool of candidates.
Amy Klobuchar’s policies
Senator Amy Klobuchar has been a vocal supporter of big tech companies She has consistently backed their policies and defended their practices. Some of her notable actions include voting against an amendment that would have given the FTC more power to regulate big tech, voting against a bill that would have made it easier for consumers to sue big tech companies and co-sponsoring a bill that would exempt big tech companies from certain antitrust laws.
Net neutrality
One of the key issues in the 2020 US presidential race is net neutrality – the principle that all internet traffic should be treated equally. Some candidates, like Senator Bernie Sanders, want to reinstate Obama-era rules that would prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from discriminating against certain types of traffic. Other candidates, like former Vice President Joe Biden, have not taken a firm position on the issue.
Senator Amy Klobuchar has staked out a middle ground: she supports net neutrality but believes that it can be accomplished without reclassifying ISPs as common carriers. This position puts her at odds with Sanders and many other progressives, but it has won her the support of some big tech companies, including Microsoft and Google.
Klobuchar’s position on net neutrality is significant because she is one of the leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination. If she were to win the nomination and go on to defeat Donald Trump in the general election, her policies on net neutrality would have a major impact on the US internet landscape.
Data privacy
Data privacy is the relationship between collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, and the legal and political issues surrounding them. Public concern over companies collecting data has been mounting in recent years, as more companies increasingly collect data on everything from user behavior to daily routines.
Many tech giants have come out in support of Amy Klobuchar’s plans for data privacy regulation. Klobuchar’s proposal would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) greater authority to police companies’ handling of personal data. It would also create a new position at the agency, a chief technology officer, to focus on emerging tech issues.
The Minnesota senator’s proposal comes as big tech companies are facing intense scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators over their handling of user data. Facebook, in particular, has been under fire for its lax protections against the misuse of user data by Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm that worked on President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Antitrust
One of the most significant pieces of legislation that a senator can help shape is antitrust law. This is the body of law that governs how companies compete with each other, and it has a profound impact on the economy and society.
Amy Klobuchar has been a champion of antitrust enforcement during her time in the Senate. She was one of the first senators to call for an investigation into Google’s monopoly power, and she has consistently pushed for stronger enforcement against Big Tech companies. Klobuchar has also proposed a number of reforms to make it easier for the government to crack down on anticompetitive behavior.
Klobuchar’s antitrust policies are informed by her experience as a prosecutor, and she has said that she wants to “bring some law and order back to this wild west world of Big Tech.” Her willingness to take on Big Tech has won her support from antitrust advocates, who see her as a rare champion in Congress.
Why Big Tech is backing Amy Klobuchar
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has been one of the most consistent Democratic candidates in the 2020 presidential race. She has a long record of working with big tech companies and is seen as a moderate alternative to progressive candidates like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Let’s take a look at why big tech is backing Amy Klobuchar.
She’s a known quantity
Amy Klobuchar has been a familiar face in the tech industry for years. The Minnesota senator is a regular at major conferences and is well-versed in the issues that matter to the sector.
Klobuchar has also been a reliable vote for the industry on key issues. She was an early supporter of net neutrality, and she’s been a vocal critic of China’s trade practices.
It’s no surprise, then, that some of the biggest names in tech are backing her presidential bid. Google, Facebook, and Amazon have all made donations to her campaign, and employees of those companies have donated more than any other candidate.
There are several reasons why tech is coalescing around Klobuchar. For one, she’s a known quantity who has demonstrated an understanding of the industry’s concerns. But she also represents a more moderate alternative to progressive candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who have taken aim at Big Tech with their policy proposals.
Klobuchar may not be the most exciting candidate in the field, but for an industry under siege, she may be seen as the best option.
She’s a moderate
When it comes to the 2020 presidential election, technology companies and their employees are placing their bets on Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Klobuchar has been a moderate voice in the Senate, and that’s appealing to tech companies who are looking for someone who can work across the aisle. Klobuchar has also been a champion of net neutrality and privacy rights, two issues that are important to the tech industry.
Big tech is also betting that Klobuchar can win in the Midwest, a critical region for winning the Electoral College. Klobuchar hails from Minnesota, a state that President Trump narrowly won in 2016.
With her strong support from the tech industry, Klobuchar is positioned to be a major force in the 2020 presidential election.
She’s from a swing state
Big tech is backing Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar because she is from a swing state and has shown a willingness to work with the industry, according to a new report.
The Minnesota senator has endorsements from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, PayPal co-founder Max Levchin and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, among others, The New York Times reported.
Klobuchar has also been endorsed by some of the biggest names in the tech industry, including Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, Google chairman Eric Schmidt and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
The endorsements come as Klobuchar is surging in the polls in Iowa, where she is now neck-and-neck with Sanders and Buttigieg.
