Someone recently asked me to explore the term Klobmentum, which I found to be a fascinating topic. For those who have not been following the Democratic presidential primary, this term has been embraced by various news outlets, from the New York Times to local TV stations, to describe Amy Klobuchar’s unexpectedly strong performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, and the anticipated momentum that comes with them. It is part of a larger trend among Klobuchar supporters to create blends like Klobusurge and Klobucharmy, and according to Twitter data, it started gaining popularity in late January and saw a significant increase in usage after her success in Iowa. The linguistic analysis of this word is intriguing and almost seems unnatural, but as some linguists have pointed out online, perhaps Klo- alone could not function as a morpheme. It will be interesting to see how this word evolves further as the primary season unfolds!
