NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — As all eyes were on South Carolina on the eve of its early presidential primary, Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar was instead in Nashville, making a last-minute plea on Friday to the state's moderate voters.

“There are independents and moderate Republicans who don’t like our president who are watching and want a change, and I remember that every day,” the senator from Minnesota told a crowd of roughly 250 people. "I know the heart of America is bigger than the heart of the guy that's in the White House.”

She touted her background, her pragmatic approach to politics and highlighting the need more political decency since President Donald Trump took office. She got some of her loudest cheers, however, with a promise to remove Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos.

“I know you and I will fight for you,” she said.

Klobuchar, like many other presidential candidates in recent weeks, had boosted her team's presence in Tennessee with an eye on Super Tuesday.

Friday's event with Klobuchar was one of several last-minute pushes in the Volunteer State as campaigns pivot from the early primary states to Super Tuesday.

With less than a week from the high-profile election deadline, no clear leader has emerged in Tennessee's Democratic primary. In a state where a Republican holds every major elected office, including seven of the nine congressional seats, the Democratic primary voting base has a history of being more moderate than that of other states

With an eye on those moderate voters, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg plans to rally Saturday in Nashville, rather than spend time in South Carolina on its primary voting day. Klobuchar also is continuing with grassroots events in Nashville and Knoxville through Saturday, as well as a fundraiser.

Billionaire Mike Bloomberg made three stops Friday in Tennessee, speaking in Memphis, Clarksville and Johnson City. The former New York City mayor has made four trips to Tennessee as a candidate — more than any of his rivals — and has hired the most staffers throughout the state.

In Memphis, Bloomberg thanked early voters and asked supporters to help his Tennessee team get out the vote.

“We’ve built a statewide operation from Beale Street and blues clubs to the Blue Ridge mountains, and we need all the volunteers we can get,” he said. “I know Tennessee will deliver because, after all, this is the Volunteer State. First came Davy Crockett, and now you.”

Jane Sanders spent Wednesday making multiple stops in Nashville, pitching why her husband, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, is the most likely to win not only the nomination, but also to defeat Donald Trump.

“He won the popular vote in Iowa ... he won in New Hampshire and he won quite the victory in Nevada. Each time we heard how he wasn't going to win again but he did," Sanders told a small audience of mostly black community leaders.

Meanwhile, the campaigns of former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren dispatched high-profile surrogates to stump for the candidates as they race toward Tuesday's primary.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was making various campaign stops for Biden in Tennessee on Friday, while actor Ashley Judd has hosted a debate watch party and meet-and-greets on behalf of Warren.

Billionaire Tom Steyer's team is hosting events and has a purchased a sweeping multimillion dollar ad buy across Super Tuesday states, including Tennessee.

Nearly a quarter of the Democratic primary delegates are up for grabs in the March 3 contests. Most are in California and Texas, making them key wins. But Tennessee's 73 delegates also could prove vital for candidates needing to show momentum in the crowded race. Just seven other states will have more delegates than Tennessee on Super Tuesday..

In 2016, Hillary Clinton defeated Sanders after getting 66% of the primary vote –— which included winning the Nashville and Memphis regions, the state's few Democratic strongholds in a sea of GOP control.

Clinton went on to carry other Southern states that year, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Texas and Virginia.

Tennessee's Democratic Party has been on its heels in recent years. The most recent blow came when former Gov. Phil Bredesen lost his U.S. Senate bid to hard-line conservative Republican Marsha Blackburn in 2018. Bredesen’s moderate Democratic approach to politics had long been seen as the best way to attract Tennessee voters, but ultimately resulted in a loss.

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Correspondent Adrian Sainz contributed to this report from Memphis