First 2020 presidential candidate, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, plans a stop in Tallahassee Tuesday

Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar will be the first 2020 presidential candidate to visit Tallahassee. 

Since announcing her bid in February, the former prosecutor from St. Paul, Minnesota, has focused mostly on the Midwest with campaign forays into Iowa and her home-state base.

In March she did a swing through pivotal states, including Florida where she huddled with environmentalists in Tampa.

The Klobuchar campaign will touch down in Miami Tuesday morning for a health-care roundtable discussion. Then the 58-year old candidate will come to Tallahassee for an afternoon meeting with leaders of the Florida House Democrats at the state Capitol.  

Klobuchar announced her candidacy in the middle of a Minnesota February snowstorm and was promptly ridiculed by President Donald Trump.

“Fighting global warming while standing in a virtual blizzard of snow, ice and freezing temperatures. Bad timing,” Trump tweeted. “By the end of her speech she looked like a Snowman(woman)!”

The Associated Press describes Klobuchar as a straight-talking pragmatist who has been one of the more productive senators in passing legislation.

She began as a second-tier candidate amidst a crowded field of nearly 20 Democratic candidates and potential contenders but appears to have begun to gain on the leaders.

The CNN power ranking of Democratic potential candidates now lists Klobuchar fifth behind former Rep. Beto O'Rourke. An earlier ranking had her at ninth. 

Rolling Stone magazine produced a power ranking of the Democratic contenders Monday and listed Klobuchar at number eight, trailing Sen. Corey Booker.

Klobuchar reported she raised $5.2 million in the first seven weeks of her campaign. 

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders led the pack of candidates for the Democratic nomination with more than $18 million raised in the first quarter, followed by Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, with $12 million and O’Rourke with $9.4 million.

Writer James Call can be contacted at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on Twitter @CallTallahassee