Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced Thursday that she will run for governor of Minnesota, stepping into a wide-open race after Gov. Tim Walz surprised allies earlier this month by abandoning his bid for a third term.
Klobuchar, who is serving her fourth term in the U.S. Senate, becomes the most prominent Democrat to enter the contest and immediately reshapes the political landscape in a reliably blue state that has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“I believe we must stand up for what’s right and fix what’s wrong,” Klobuchar said in a video posted to X. “That’s why today I’m announcing my candidacy for governor of the state of Minnesota.”
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Klobuchar cited rising health care and housing costs and sharply criticized the presence of federal immigration agents in the state, saying she is running “for every Minnesotan who wants ICE and its abusive tactics out of the state we love.”
Race opens after Walz withdrawal
Klobuchar’s entry follows Walz’s Jan. 5 decision not to seek re-election, a move that stunned Democrats and came just months after he launched — and then quietly abandoned — a third-term campaign. Walz cited concerns about an alleged child care fraud scandal that has drawn intense scrutiny from Republicans and the Trump administration.
No other major Democrats have entered the race. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has said he will not run, and Klobuchar’s stature is expected to discourage additional top-tier challengers.
Her candidacy comes during a volatile moment for the state, which has seen a surge of federal immigration enforcement and two fatal shootings involving immigration officers in Minneapolis in recent weeks.
Federal shootings fuel backlash
On Jan. 7, Renée Nicole Good, 37, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer while sitting in her car. Weeks later, Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, also 37, during an encounter downtown. Eyewitness video later contradicted the Trump administration’s initial description of Pretti as a violent threat.
The killings triggered protests, national attention and mounting criticism from Minnesota Democrats, who say the influx of federal agents has made communities less safe.
“Minnesota, we’ve been through a lot,” Klobuchar said in her announcement video, referencing the deaths of Good and Pretti, a mass shooting at a Minneapolis church last summer, and the politically motivated killings last year of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
“These times call for leaders who can stand up and not be rubber stamps for this administration,” she said, “but who are also willing to find common ground and fix things in our state.”
Clashes with Trump administration
Klobuchar has been among the most vocal critics of the Trump administration’s immigration operations in Minnesota. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press after Pretti’s death, she said federal agents were making the state “less safe” and accused ICE of operating “against every tenet of law enforcement.”
She has also said she plans to oppose a government funding package that includes additional money for the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump officials have pointed to Minnesota’s alleged fraud problems as justification for the federal presence. The administration has repeatedly highlighted a yearslong Justice Department investigation into Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit at the center of an alleged $250 million pandemic food aid fraud scheme. Dozens of defendants were indicted in 2022, though more recent claims amplified by conservative figures remain unsubstantiated.
Klobuchar said she would aggressively pursue fraud as governor, citing her tenure as Hennepin County attorney.
“I will make sure the people who steal taxpayer money go to jail and root out the fraud by changing the way state government works,” she said. “I’ve never shied away from taking on the powerful.”
Implications for the Senate
Klobuchar is not up for re-election until 2030. If she wins the governorship, Minnesota law would allow her to appoint an interim replacement to her Senate seat until a special election is held. The timing of any resignation would determine whether Walz or the next governor makes that appointment.
Her decision comes as Minnesota Democrats are already facing change at the federal level. Sen. Tina Smith is not seeking re-election, setting up a competitive Democratic primary that includes Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig.
Crowded GOP field
Republicans are preparing for a crowded primary. Potential candidates include former state Sen. Scott Jensen, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, state Rep. Kristin Robbins and businessman Kendall Qualls.
Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor in nearly two decades.
Political résumé
Klobuchar was first elected to the Senate in 2006 after serving eight years as Hennepin County attorney. She has won all four Senate elections by margins exceeding 16 percentage points.
She ran for president in 2020, finishing fifth in the Iowa caucuses and third in the New Hampshire primary before exiting the race ahead of Super Tuesday.
She is now one of four sitting U.S. senators running for governor in 2026, joining Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Michael Bennet of Colorado and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
