On Sunday, Minnesota’s senior senator, Amy Klobuchar, announced her intent to run for president. She joins a growing crowd of Democrats who want to regain the White House in 2020.

We know Minnesotans like Klobuchar, and have elected her three times to the Senate with increasingly strong margins.

And she’s no stranger to southwest Minnesota. She has made a few stops in this region the past few years. In May, she held a roundtable discussion inside the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce to hear about the lack of child care in the region. She listened as each person who sat at the conference room table describe their challenges with child care.

And in August she paid a visit to Balaton to meet with Ralco Nutrition and tru Shrimp representatives.

In June she sent her representatives to the Marshall-Lyon County Library for a public meeting on the Farm Bill. While she did not attend, she did address the farmers and others in attendance by video. She stressed her support for bipartisan effort to pass the Farm Bill.

It’s Klobuchar’s willingness to work across the aisle that is one of her strong suites as a senator. Her reputation is one of a practical politician, one more interested in solving problems than in promoting party lines, willing to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to get things done.

And that trait would go a long ways in becoming a successful president.

Her challenge, however, will be to introduce herself to the rest of the country, to win over supporters from the wide field of candidates that may eventually include former vice president Joe Biden, whose shadow looms over the rest of the field.

In stepping onto the national stage, Klobuchar will face intense scrutiny — and it started even before Sunday’s announcement. A few former staffers unanimously accused the senator of maltreatment of her staff. In one alleged incident, the senator tossed papers and “one aide was accidentally hit with a flying binder.” According to the report, a person in the room noted the senator did not intend the throw to make contact.

When asked about them in recent television interviews, Klobuchar didn’t dodge the question. “Yes, I can be tough, and yes, I can push people,” Klobuchar told reporters after her Sunday rally. “I have high expectations for the people that work for me, but I have high expectations for this country.”

She also said her staffers mean a lot to her and several of them have been with her for years.

This is just the beginning of the accusations and political jabs for Klobuchar. She will need to be tough because opponents will look for anything that will hurt Klobuchar’s reputation as the presidential campaign gets into high gear. The upcoming presidential battle is expected to be a bruising affair.

Minnesota has a history of former senators getting into presidential races — Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, who failed in their races against Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Klobuchar has a long way to go before joining their ranks, but she adds quality to Democratic race for president.