On Sunday’s broadcast of CNN’s “State of the Union,” 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) reacted to billionaire Michael Bloomberg jumping into the Democratic presidential primary by proclaiming “you have to earn votes and not buy them.”

Host Jake Tapper said, “Michael Bloomberg filed in the 2020 election in Alabama, the first state with a filing deadline. The mayor seems to be concerned, according to aids that Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are too liberal to beat Trump, and the moderate candidates such as yourself are not strong enough to win the nomination. Is his analysis incorrect.”

Klobuchar said, “Yes. Very incorrect. I’m gaining momentum all of the time. We’re doubling offices in Iowa. We got an extraordinary amount of help after the last debate raising $2.1 million at Amyklobuchar.com in just six days, so we’re building an operation that can win. And I have the most endorsements of anyone in Iowa of any of the candidates. Stepping back to this assertion from his spokesperson, I have seen a lot of excitement about all of our candidates. I think all of them have served our country and in one way or another and when people look at the White House and see this multi-millionaire —including by the way independents and moderate Republicans and now he’s messing up so many things, I don’t think they say oh, we need someone richer. I don’t think that, Jake. I think you have to earn votes and not buy them.”

She added, “I certainly welcome Mayor Bloomberg to the race. He’s done incredible work on gun safety, on environmental issues. And it is work of merit. But I don’t think you just waltz in and say instead of well I’m good enough to be president. Your argument is the other people aren’t good enough. That is not how we’ve been conducting the debates. We’re having legitimate debates about who is the strongest person. I think I am the strongest person being from the heartland, the place that we need to win — being the one that has won every red and purple congressional district over and over again and someone who can govern from strength and gotten through the gridlock of Washington.

“I’m looking forward to debating Mayor Bloomberg about that and not if he comes in to say the rest of the field is not good enough,” she added.

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN