Why the Mississippi River got a shoutout at DNC from Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Minnesota got a lot of love Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago as its governor, Tim Walz, formally accepted the vice presidential nomination.
But one speaker chose to draw upon something that connects the North Star State to many others: the Mississippi River.
At the end of a brief speech describing her closeness with Walz, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota invoked the river, which begins in her home state at Lake Itasca and cuts down the middle of the country before it pours out into the Gulf of Mexico. She named all 10 states the river touches — including Wisconsin — pausing to allow cheers from the delegates of each.
"Let us commit here and now to cross the river of our divides to get to a higher ground," Klobuchar said.
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Getting a shout-out at a national political convention was perhaps an unlikely moment of stardom for the Mississippi, one of the world's great rivers. But it's not new for Klobuchar. She used the same phrase when she announced her campaign for president in 2019 near the banks of the river, and in 2021 in a speech at the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
Who can blame her for recycling metaphors when a river makes such a handy one? And in truth, the Mississippi River connects more than just 10 states.
Its drainage basin is massive: all the rain and snow that falls across 31 states and two Canadian provinces ends up in the Mississippi. (About 60% of Wisconsin residents live in the Mississippi River basin.)
And it provides habitat for hundreds of fish and wildlife species, charts the course of millions of tons of goods exported from the U.S. and has a rich cultural history, featured in many beloved books and songs.
Whitney Clark, executive director of the Minnesota-based nonprofit Friends of the Mississippi River, said his team was thrilled to hear Klobuchar mention the Mississippi.
"It's all too easy to take this international treasure in our backyard for granted. But millions of Americans depend on the river for drinking water, recreation and respite, not to mention their livelihoods," Clark said. "And with challenges like climate change and increased flooding, we need all the river champions we can get."
More: The Mississippi River is central to America's story. Why doesn't it get more love?
Madeline Heim is a Report for America corps reporter who writes about environmental issues in the Mississippi River watershed and across Wisconsin. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sen. Amy Klobuchar shouts out the Mississippi River during DNC speech
