Amy Klobuchar really wants New Hampshire to know that she is not a socialist, and she doesn't think it is a particularly good idea to nominate one as the Democratic nominee, either.

Just hours before voters in the Granite State were set to start casting ballots in the first in the nation primary, Ms Klobuchar emphasised that point as she mounts what could be her last real chance at turning her long-shot presidential candidacy into a winning prospect.

"We've had a lot of debates, as you know," Ms Klobuchar told a weekly Rotary Club meeting at a country club in Nashua on Monday, as attendees munched on cured meats and chicken cacciatore. "And ... I don't agree with everything people say on the debate stage."

She continued: "In fact, when we were asked during the last debate if we thought a socialist should lead the ticket, I was the only one who raised my hand and said, 'No, I don't think so.'"

It is a stance she has made clear in various ways for months now to largely deaf ears in the media. She is friends with the target of that question, self-described democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, but she is far from convinced about his vision for the future.

At just the last moment, though - just as Joe Biden's candidacy has appeared to fade and as moderate voters have grappled with the increasingly real prospect that they might nominate Pete Buttigieg, a 38-year-old candidate with zero state-wide or national experience - her prospects appear ascendant.

Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Jessica Canicosa, a precinct captain for Bernie Sanders, waits to greet caucus voters at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Hotel workers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas get to grips with voting papers during the Nevada caucuses AFP via Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A caricature of Bernie Sanders is projected on to a tree during a rally in Las Vegas EPA Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A woman waits to have a photo taken with Elizabeth Warren during a town hall meeting in Las Vegas REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures The threat of coronavirus and other germ-borne illnesses was on some voters' minds at the Democratic caucuses in Henderson, Nevada Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Former vice-president Joe Biden takes a selfie with a voter in Las Vegas ahead of the Nevada caucuses REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Amy Klobuchar changes her shoes backstage after giving a speech in Exeter, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A warmly-wrapped-up dog attends an Elizabeth Warren event at Amherst Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Bernie Sanders, who romped to victory in New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton in 2016, talks to the media in Manchester Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden was hoping to improve on his poor showing in Iowa in the New Hampshire primary Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren, renowned for giving time to supporters for selfies, works the crowd at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden takes a selfie with a supporter and his child outside a campaign event in Somersworth, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders quarrel after a confrontation in a TV debate in which Sanders claimed that Warren was not telling the truth about a conversation in which she claimed he had said a woman could not win the presidency on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Supporter Pat Provencher listens to Pete Buttigieg in Laconia, New Hampshire on 4 February Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire while awaiting the results of the Iowa caucus Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren is presented with a balloon effigy of herself at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A Trump supporter rides past a rally for Amy Klobuchar in Des Moines, Iowa on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A man holds up a sign criticising billionaires in the presidential race in front of Michael Bloomberg in Compton, Califronia. The former New York mayor skipped the first caucus in Iowa and instead campaigned in California on 3 February Reuters

On Monday, New Hampshire woke up to good news for the Minnesota senator, who has emphasised her focus on policies she believes would help small business across the country. After months of relative obscurity and middling polls, two polls showed her overtaking Elizabeth Warren to occupy third place in the race behind Mr Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders.

In one, Ms Klobuchar came in third with 14 per cent support, to second-place Mr Buttigieg's 19 per cent. Mr Sanders, who is a senator from nearby Vermont, appears poised for a blowout in the state, with 27 per cent support in that poll.

For Stepanie Wolf-Rosenblum, a 64-year-old physician who stopped by the Nashua event to hear Ms Klobuchar speak, the Minnesota senator is exactly why she would prescribe for the White House.

Mr Buttigieg has a bright future ahead of him, she said, but she thinks that the damage Mr Trump has done in the past three years necessitates a leader with experience in the Oval Office.

"We need somebody with experience. A range of experience," she said. "And we need someone with established relationships."

She continued: "She relates to people and their struggles, and their pain in a way that I don't think other candidates have."

Devra Cohen, a 63-year-old child care doctor, also praised Ms Klobuchar, but said that her decision to support the senator on Tuesday had nothing to do with Mr Biden's plummeting chances.