Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) on Thursday announced her campaign for governor, jumping into a race that was upended after Gov. Tim Walz (D) made a surprise announcement this month that he would drop his reelection bid in the wake of a welfare-fraud investigation in the state that has drawn the national spotlight.
Klobuchar, 65, stepped into the governor’s race during a period of tumult in Minnesota. The Trump administration has focused on Minneapolis, especially its substantial population of Somali immigrants, in its enforcement crackdown. The city has been embroiled in unease and resistance after two fatal shootings of residents by immigration officials — which Klobuchar highlighted in an announcement video.
“We cannot sugarcoat how hard this is,” Klobuchar said, adding: “These times call for leaders who can stand up and not be rubber stamps of this administration, but who are also willing to find common ground and fix things in our state.”
She promised to lead with “grit” and “resilience.”
Minnesota had been reeling from other recent tragedies, including a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school in August that killed two children and injured 17 people, as well as the politically motivated shootings of two Democratic state lawmakers and their spouses last summer.
Walz, who was the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, decided not to seek a third term as governor in part because of growing attacks by President Donald Trump and his allies over welfare fraud investigations in Minnesota. The ongoing probe started several years ago and federal authorities in Minnesota filed charges in 2022, accusing 47 people of misusing $250 million meant to feed children during the pandemic. But attention from right-wing influencers and Trump’s supporters has renewed attention to the issue online.
Klobuchar had previously signaled her bid for governor by filing paperwork that is a preliminary step for candidates considering running.
Klobuchar, the No. 3 Senate Democrat in party leadership, has spent nearly two decades in the Senate. In 2024, she won reelection to her fourth term by nearly 16 points, running far ahead of Kamala Harris, who carried Minnesota by about four points. Klobuchar also ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, casting herself as a Midwestern pragmatist who could appeal to voters across the political spectrum.
If Klobuchar vacates her seat, Walz could appoint a temporary replacement before a special election to fill out the remainder of her term, according to Minnesota statute. Klobuchar is not up for reelection in the Senate until 2030.
The Minnesota governor’s race is not the only contest in the state that has been shaken up this year. Minnesota’s other Democratic senator, Tina Smith, is not running for reelection. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig are running in the Democratic primary to succeed her.
Republicans recruited Michele Tafoya, a former television sports reporter, in an attempt to flip the seat, though no Republican has won a Senate race in Minnesota since 2002.
Walz won reelection in 2022 by about eight percentage points, and Democrats are still considered to have the advantage. However, Republicans are sure to try to tie the welfare-fraud scandal to Klobuchar. A crowded field of GOP candidates is also seeking the governor’s office, including Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
Klobuchar is the fourth senator this year seeking to leave the chamber for a shot at a governor’s mansion. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) are also running to be governors of their respective states.
Yasmeen Abutaleb contributed to this report.
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