DENVER, 12:42 p.m. — Senator Amy Klobuchar ’82 of Minnesota made her second appearance of the convention Tuesday, highlighting the economic struggles of the middle class in brief remarks during a segment focused on Democratic women serving in the U.S. Senate.

Klobuchar, who is in her first term, told delegates the story of her grandfather, a miner who never graduated high school but saved money in a coffee can to help send Klobuchar’s father to college. The theme was a consistent one: On Monday, she spoke of hauling decades-old dishware in her Saturn from Minnesota to Washington upon her election to the Senate.

“If we are going to protect the family checkbook, we need a president who’ll fight for middle-class tax breaks and affordable health care and education,” she said. “This November, we can’t afford more of the same. Let’s elect a president who looks out for the middle class, not the privileged class.”

Full speech after the jump.

I’m Amy Klobuchar from the great state of Minnesota.

My grandpa worked 1,500 feet underground in the iron ore mines of Ely, Minnesota. He never graduated from high school, but he and my grandma saved money in a coffee can to send my dad to college.

Today, it’s getting harder for middle class families to make ends meet. Since 2001, the average family’s income has fallen more than $1,000, but their expenses have gone up $4,500. It’s a chunk of change, and it doesn’t fit into a coffee can any more.

If we are going to protect the family checkbook, we need a president who’ll fight for middle-class tax breaks and affordable health care and education.

This November, we can’t afford more of the same. Let’s elect a president who looks out for the middle class, not the privileged class!

That’s why the Democratic women of the Senate say the women of this country need Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the White House.

Thank you.