At Klobuchar headquarters in northeast Minneapolis, they were clearing out the campaign bus.
Every campaign that ends breaks somebody's heart
March 3, 2020 at 12:49PM
Yard signs. Leaflets. "Amy for America" buttons.
The candidate's staff piled them all on the loading dock for someone to deal with later, then went in the office and locked the door.
On Monday, Amy Klobuchar suspended her presidential campaign. Anyone planning to work for her or vote for her on Super Tuesday needed a new plan.
Bernie? Biden? Bloomberg? Warren? Trump? Election 2020 offers a range of septuagenarians.
The empty green campaign bus rumbled away to be stripped of its Amy for America wrap. The national campaign headquarters in Minneapolis was supposed to be a quick stop between last weekend's campaign stops on the East Coast and points west.
Instead, their candidate was heading to Texas on Monday night to throw her support behind former rival Joe Biden.
Nobody at Klobuchar headquarters felt like talking Monday, but supporters around the country took to social media to say goodbye.
"So grateful to have been part of this amazing team and will never forget the ride," a Klobuchar field director tweeted Monday afternoon, followed by a picture of a blue clay heart a little boy made for her.
"Knowing I was upset," Kristen Williams tweeted, alongside a picture of a squashy blue heart, "he just gave me this."
The Missouri for Amy Klobuchar Twitter account announced it wouldn't be changing its brand.
"I will keep this #Missouri for @amyklobuchar account running because I know we haven't seen the last of #AmyKlobuchar," the account tweeted.
The same account shared a photo of an Amy for America sweatshirt and a note, apparently from a roommate, asking "Do you just want me to add this to the donation pile?"
"Gotta go find a new roommate," Missouri for Amy noted. "I'm not emotionally prepared for this. #toosoon."
The people who work and volunteer on presidential campaigns put up with long hours, no sleep, online harassment and food that mainly comes from vending machines or soggy old pizza boxes. They do it because they believe in someone or something.
In Oklahoma City, Klobuchar staffers had been getting ready for an afternoon rally. Cameras trailed the dejected group carrying "Amy for America" yard signs to the nearest dumpster — except for a few signs they folded up as keepsakes.
Super Tuesday would be a good day be kind to your neighbors with the Klobuchar yard signs or the Buttigieg bumper stickers. Or to one of the thousands of Minnesotans who voted early for a candidate who's no longer in the race. Even if the candidate they believed in isn't the candidate you believe in.
Every campaign that ends breaks somebody's heart.
"Cleaning out our garage before the big move," tweeted Sam Roecker, former Iowa state director for a campaign that ended half a year before the Iowa caucuses began. "Anyone want a couple thousand Hickenlooper koozies?"
jennifer.brooks@startribune.com • 612-673-4008
Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @stribrooks
These Minnesotans are poised to play prominent roles in state and national politics in the coming years.
