Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a presidential candidate, said Sunday that she admires former New York City Michael Bloomberg but she’s galled by the notion that Democrats don’t have a solid slate of 2020 candidates.

Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire, hopped into the primary race in recent days, citing the lack of moderate challengers who can appeal to the broader electorate and beat President Trump.

“I don’t buy this argument that you get in because ‘everyone else sucks,’” Ms. Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat, told NBC’s Meet the Press. “I think we have strong candidates. I don’t think that any of the polling or the numbers show that people are dissatisfied with all their candidates. They’re just trying to pick the right one.”

Ms. Klobuchar has an impressive electoral record in Minnesota but has struggled to break out of the 2020 primary pack. She says she is hauling in decent money of late and expanding operations in Iowa, New Hampshire and other early primary states.

“That’s because the momentum’s on our side. And I’m never going to be able to compete with two billionaires, that is true,” she added, referring to Mr. Bloomberg and activist-billionaire Tom Steyer. “I’m not going to be able to buy this thirty-some million-dollar ad buy.”

In a way, Mr. Bloomberg is treading on Ms. Klobuchar’s turf. She’s positioned herself as a centrist who can gain ground if former Vice President Joseph R. Biden falters.

Mr. Biden and Ms. Klobuchar have criticized some of their primary rivals for making big-government promises that will be hard to keep.

“I’m the one from the beginning that has set that path,” she told NBC. “That you look people in the eyes, you tell them the truth. That no, we’re not going to give free college to everyone, but we are going to match our economy with the jobs and the education system that we have. I am the one that is the only one on the stage that didn’t get on that bill for kicking people off their current health insurance in four years.”

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