In Jethro’s Steak n’ Chop in Ames, people packed into the venue wearing green pins that read “Amy.”

The pins were worn by supporters of Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s presidential campaign, she hosted a town hall in the restaurant Sunday afternoon.

Klobuchar was welcomed to the event by Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, who endorsed her campaign at the start of the town hall.

“She is committed to improving the lives of families in the heartland and ensure kids that grow up in rural Iowa can stay in rural Iowa,” Wilburn said. “Instead of calling people names or spreading the blame, Amy is focused on getting things done.” 

She began her speech talking about her “reality” as one of the jurors in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. 

“I think about this moment in time, this is a president that put his private interest, his partisan interest and political interest over our country,” Klobuchar said. “I think this is a moment of courage. How you are going to vote on impeachment in the end, you at least have to believe enough in our democracy that you are not afraid of the truth.”

Klobuchar said she is interested in a trial that represents the Constitution, not political parties, and there has never been a trial like this one in the history of the country.

Klobuchar said she wants to hear from witnesses, such as Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton. Klobuchar quoted the musical “Hamilton,” she said she wants to talk to the people who were “in the room when it happened.”

“When we are there, as 100 jurors, we are there representing the American people, we are there to uphold the Constitution,” Klobuchar said.

Klobuchar said impeachment is an “economic check” on the president and under his presidency there is not shared prosperity. She said there is more that could be done, but to do so red states need to turn blue in this next election. 

“My plan is we are going to build a beautiful blue wall of Democratic votes around those states and we are going to make Donald Trump pay for it,” Klobuchar said.

Klobuchar talked about the importance of strong unions, accessible health care and affordable prescription medication and premiums and childcare. She said she plans to build and improve the Affordable Care Act and pass a non-profit public option for health care.

Anna Bilek, senior in civil engineering, said she wanted to be informed on all the presidential candidates, but has committed to caucus for Klobuchar.

Bilek said she appreciates Klobuchar’s healthcare plan, but also her ability to reach across the aisle to Republicans.

“I really like Amy because she has all of the things I am looking for,” Bilek said “I think it is really great that she is a female, but also is very qualified […] and when she was elected flipped a lot of red districts blue and that makes me confident she would be able to do the same in the presidential election. I think our country is so polarized and I think someone in the middle is what we need to bring us back together and I think she would be great at that.”

Douglas Mihelich, senior in mechanical engineering, is from Minnesota and said he has seen Klobuchar’s work firsthand and has committed to caucus for her as well.

“Growing up in Minnesota I had a lot of opportunities to witness firsthand her ability to cross the aisle to work with both Democrats and Republicans to find real common sense solutions,” Mihelich said.

Mihelich said Klobuchar has the best plan for paying for higher education. 

“She has a lot of great ideas on making college more affordable, I am not convinced that college should be free,” Mihelich said. “I think she has a really good progressive and real solution that could be implemented.”

Klobuchar’s education plan is one of the reasons she won the endorsement of Wilburn, who had previously endorsed Sen. Kamala Harris.

“The things that closed the deal for me was the support of education, she has similar views on education as Sen. Harris, who I was a strong supporter and advocate of,” Wilburn said. “I really just want folks to get out and caucus. I will be caucusing which means I do endorse Sen. Klobuchar, but bring a friend and get people out. That is what I am going to be doing and I want the people of Ames and Story County to do the same.”