MINNESOTA NICE? LEADERSHIP, SEXISM, AND ATTACKS ON THE LAUNCH OF SENATOR AMY KLOBUCHAR’S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

Abstract

In the days before the launch of her 2020 presidential campaign, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar was the subject of media scrutiny documenting how her consistent mistreatment of staff had spurred record levels of turnover in her office. Supportive staff, though, argued that claims that Klobuchar was a horrible boss were sexist, and that powerful men get away with approaches to leadership that powerful women cannot. Existing research shows that women running for and holding office are held to different standards than men are. To what extent do these differences apply here, and does the public buy the idea that sexism creates a mitigating circumstance that should cause us to look differently at Klobuchar’s behavior? Findings of an original survey experiment reveal the damage such a scandal can do, cast doubt on whether a man would be given leeway in the same situation, and demonstrate the somewhat restorative effects of claiming that gender bias explains political perceptions.