Sen. Amy Klobuchar has won the Democratic nomination for governor of Minnesota, setting up her bid to succeed Gov. Tim Walz and keep the governor’s office in Democratic hands.
According to Fox News, Klobuchar, Minnesota’s senior U.S. senator and a former presidential candidate, defeated a field of Democratic challengers in Tuesday’s primary. She will now face the Republican nominee in November.
The race comes as Minnesota Democrats remain under pressure over a massive fraud scandal involving state government programs.
Walz announced earlier this year that he would not seek a third term as his administration faced criticism over its handling of the fraud allegations.
Federal prosecutors have said the schemes could cost taxpayers more than $9 billion. Republicans have repeatedly pointed to the scandal as evidence of failures in state oversight.
Klobuchar has sought to make government accountability and fighting fraud a central part of her campaign. When she unveiled her priorities in May, she said, "You are right to be angry about the fraud. It is unacceptable and it must end."
She also pledged to conduct a "top-to-bottom audit" of state government beginning on her first day in office.
Klobuchar enters the general election with a significant political resume. She has represented Minnesota in the Senate since 2007 and previously served as Hennepin County attorney.
She also ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 before ending her campaign and endorsing then-former Vice President Joe Biden.
Her gubernatorial campaign has also created an unusual political situation because she has not resigned from the Senate. Her current Senate term runs through January 2031, meaning a loss in the governor’s race would not cost her Senate seat.
If Klobuchar wins in November and leaves the Senate to become governor, however, her departure would create a vacancy in Minnesota’s congressional delegation.
The Republican primary is still determining Klobuchar’s general election opponent. She will be seeking to extend Democratic control of the governor’s office in a state that has not elected a Republican governor since Tim Pawlenty left office in January 2011.
The November race is expected to put Klobuchar’s record in Washington and her promises to address fraud and government accountability at the center of the campaign.