Klobuchar mocked for introducing herself as ‘Elena,’ her 4th-grade Spanish class name

In front of a Hispanic-majority crowd Tuesday, Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar picked an interesting way to introduce herself.

“My name is Amy, but when I was in fourth grade Spanish they gave me the name Elena,” she told the Las Vegas Culinary Workers Union. The group represents 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno and Latino workers make up more than 50 percent of its members, according to its website.

Klobuchar added that she was called “Elena” because she was unable to roll her R’s.

The Minnesota senator is currently polling at 5 percent among Nevada’s Latino voters, according to a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon and Telemundo. The poll found former Vice President Joe Biden with 34 percent among Latinos and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders with 31 percent support.

Social media users had fun with Klobuchar remembering her elementary school Spanish class name, but not remembering in a Nevada candidate forum the name of Mexico’s current president.

The 538 aggregate of polling in Nevada shows Sanders in first with 27 percent of the vote, followed by Biden with 15 percent. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg are tied with just over 11 percent, followed by businessman Tom Steyer at 10.5 percent and then Klobuchar and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 9:03 AM with the headline "Klobuchar mocked for introducing herself as ‘Elena,’ her 4th-grade Spanish class name."