Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar emerged from a meeting with the Florida House Democratic Caucus Tuesday with a confident air that she could compete in a Florida primary.

The three-term Minnesota senator held a Miami discussion on health care in the morning and then huddled with House Democrats in a free-wheeling discussion about issues.

Afterwards she would joke with reporters that they would get to know her better because after-all, she said, she has focused her campaign on "issues that matter to Florida."

Tuesday marked Klobuchar's second swing through Florida since she announced in February. Last month she met with environmentalists in Tampa.

Since announcing her candidacy in a blizzard, Klobuchar has mostly campaigned in the Midwest. Earlier this month, she spoke in Nevada and this week she has visits in Florida and Tennessee to introduce herself to state lawmakers and media.

The 58-year old Klobuchar is one of 18 Democrats pollsters are tracking in the 2020 election.

"Polls have an odd role at this stage," said Steve Vancore, a Tallahassee-based pollster about surveys a year ahead of an election.

"They are not predictive in the actual vote but they can be self-fullfilling – if you're ahead you raise more money and stay ahead," explained Vancore. "At this stage, polls drive media coverage, they drive donations and they drive activists (to a candidate)."

Right now, according to RealClear Politics average of polls Klobuchar is a second-tier candidate – in eighth place.

Still, the Republican National Committee made note of her Tallahassee visit.

"Amy Klobuchar is looking to gain traction with Florida voters by meeting with House Democrats as she champions harmful policies like the Green New Deal and government-run health care," said Taryn Fenske, a RNC spokesperson. "Klobuchar becomes just another out-of-touch Democrat who would raise taxes and reverse the country’s roaring progress."

The former prosecutor faces some opposition in the Democratic Party for her moderate positions. She has backed using Obamacare exchanges and a public option buy-in for Medicare as a way to provide universal health care.

Here are the issues that Sen. Amy Klobuchar said matter to Florida in her first visit during the 2020 presidential campaign with statehouse reporters – in her own words.

On Hurricane Michael recovery/relief

We are doing everything we can to get that hurricane funding. … I am strongly supportive of the House bill which included funding for Florida. When it got to the Senate, the Republican Caucus did not seem very interested, you know, in helping Puerto Rico. And the offer there is for food stamp money and there is an issue to work out between the House and Senate.

There is absolutely no reason we can’t work this out – given that the House bill includes the type of funding we would like to see. We want to have the funding for Florida and we want to include the new funding for the disasters in Iowa and Nebraska."

How long do people have to wait?

We have to get this done and we will. The House of Representatives made it very clear. They passed a bill. So, this is a matter of negotiations and sending it to conference committee and getting it done.

On Climate Change:

You have Republicans here in Tallahassee and Republicans in Washington with their heads in the sand when it comes to climate change.

I don’t see it as economics versus the environment. In Florida, I see it tied inextricably – when you see homeowners' insurance going up across the nation by 50 percent that is an economic issue.

I know that eight of the ten metropolitan areas that are destined to see the most flooding because of high waters are in Florida. Flooding is an economic issue.

My idea there is to get in the international climate change agreement on day one and to bring back the clean power rules and the gas mileage standards and to do more when it comes to infrastructure.

On health care:

I want to get to universal health care. And I would get there by putting in place some reinsurance and you can do that on the federal level. I would put a public option in place and you can do that with Medicare or you could do that with Medicaid. That is originally what we wanted to do with the Affordable Care Act and it didn’t happen. That would be a competitive pressure to bring prices down.

And then I would allow for Medicare negotiations for pharmaceuticals to bring those prices down. I lead that bill. Forty-three million seniors would have a lot of market power.

On the power of Parkland

What a difference they made nationally. … Kids were raising their hands and saying things – and it wasn’t just about guns – like I have never seen in all my years in politics...

I attribute all of that to the Parkland kids because they were so outspoken and respected and spoke their minds. It isn’t just about guns, but kids all over the country are getting more involved now. Voted at a higher rate and I think all of that is thanks to those kids after that horrific tragedy.

On how to beat President Trump:

The way you deal with him is stand your ground on your values, which I do all the time. But also sometimes you ignore (him) when he sends out a tweet storm just because he wants it to be in the news that day and sometimes you use humor. Like I did when he called me a snow woman and I said I would like to see how your hair would fair in a blizzard.

Writer James Call can be contacted at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on Twitter @CallTallahassee