Amy Klobuchar weighs run for Minnesota governor
After Gov.Tim Walz abruptly ended his bid for a third term amid scrutiny over a fraud scheme involving billions in federal dollars tied to members of the Somali community, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D‑MN) is considering a run for Minnesota governor. Klobuchar,a longtime senator since 2007 and 2020 presidential candidate,met with Walz hours before he withdrew but has not decided whether to run. Other Democrats, including Attorney General Keith Ellison, have been mentioned as possible replacements while some potential contenders like Tina Smith and Dean Phillips have declined to run. Minnesota is reliably Democratic, and Klobuchar – viewed as a relative centrist – would, if elected, appoint a temporary successor to her Senate seat under state law.
Amy Klobuchar weighs run for Minnesota governor after Tim Walz drops out
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is considering a run for Minnesota governor after Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) abruptly ended his campaign for a third term on Monday.
Klobuchar, who has represented Minnesota in the Senate since 2007, has not made a final decision on whether to mount a run, according to reports, but she met with Walz on Sunday, just hours before he issued a statement withdrawing from the race.
In recent weeks, Walz had come under scrutiny over billions in federal dollars allegedly stolen in a fraud scheme that implicated members of the Somali community. Walz has not been accused of wrongdoing, but Republicans have sought to anchor his governorship to his management of the scandal.
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Klobuchar is not the only Democrat whose name has been floated to replace Walz. Other statewide officials, among them Attorney General Keith Ellison, have been mentioned as possible successors.
But already, the pool of possible competitors has begun to shrink, as retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and Dean Phillips, the former House Democrat who challenged President Joe Biden in 2024, have ruled out campaigns.
Minnesota is a safely blue state, and Walz won his last campaign by 8 points, but Democrats viewed the fraud allegations as a weight on his candidacy, with some looking to Klobuchar, a relative centrist, as a viable replacement.
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She has risen through the ranks of Senate leadership and at one point was considered a possible contender for the No. 2 spot of Democratic whip, but Klobuchar also has aspirations beyond Congress and in 2020 mounted an unsuccessful run for president.
If she became governor, she would be tasked with appointing a temporary successor in the Senate, according to Minnesota law.
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