Amy Klobuchar, a powerful four-term senator with broad appeal across Minnesota, won Tuesday’s Democratic primary race for governor, according to The Associated Press.
Ms. Klobuchar, 66, a moderate who faced minimal competition in the contest, jolted Minnesota politics when she signaled interest in the race early this year as a welfare fraud scandal was dogging Gov. Tim Walz’s bid for a third term. Few had expected Ms. Klobuchar to give up her role in the Senate, where she holds the third-highest-ranking position in Democratic leadership.
Mr. Walz ended his campaign in early January, conceding that his sinking popularity stood to hurt Democrats down-ballot. That cleared the way for Ms. Klobuchar to announce a campaign centered on unity in a state that had been gripped by turmoil amid allegations of rampant fraud and President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Ms. Klobuchar has vowed to be a more diligent steward of taxpayer funds than Mr. Walz, saying she intends to conduct a top-to-bottom audit of state programs and draw on her experience as a chief county prosecutor to root out fraud.
The Trump administration has portrayed Minnesota as an avatar of poor Democratic governance and has sparred with state officials over immigration enforcement, fraud in safety net programs and election integrity.
Ms. Klobuchar has said she intends to leverage the alliances she has studiously built in Washington across the political spectrum — including with members of the Trump administration — to reset the acrimonious relationship between the state and the White House.
“I decided that I wanted to get us to a better place and I could use my skills from many years,” she said in an interview. “I don’t like the status quo.”
As a senator, Ms. Klobuchar has built a reputation as a pragmatist, an indefatigable worker and a formidable campaigner who is popular among moderate conservatives and independents. She was the favorite from the moment she entered the race.
Democratic state legislators and other elected officials enthusiastically lined up behind her and were strikingly candid about their relief that Mr. Walz would not be at the top of the ballot in November.
“She’s tough and gutsy and wildly smart,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. He added that if she were elected governor, Ms. Klobuchar was poised to become “the most consequential public servant in Minnesota history.”
Kobey Layne, a Democratic Socialist who competed for the state party endorsement for governor during its convention in May, lamented that Ms. Klobuchar was not forced to have more robust debates on contentious issues such as health care reform, U.S. aid to Israel and the future of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“I got into this race because people deserve options,” said Ms. Layne, 26, a first-time candidate who favors a single-payer health care system and abolishing the immigration agency. Yet, she conceded her bid against Ms. Klobuchar got little traction, calling it a “David and Goliath story.”
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