Klobuchar urged for Minnesota governor race as Walz drops out amid scandal

Minnesota Democrats are urging longtime Sen. Amy Klobuchar to jump into the race for governor of the blue-leaning state, following Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s blockbuster decision Monday to end his 2026 re-election bid amid political fallout from a massive fraud scandal.

Klobuchar, who was re-elected in 2024 to a fourth six-year term in the U.S. Senate, is receiving calls urging her to run for governor, Minnesota sources confirmed to Fox News Digital.

And sources tell FOX 9 in Minnesota that Klobuchar is considering a gubernatorial bid but hasn’t made a final decision yet.

Walz met with Klobuchar on Sunday to discuss his decision to drop his re-election bid, a close source confirmed to Fox News.

Fallout from fraud forces Walz to abandon gubernatorial re-election bid

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., met with Gov. Tim Walz on Sunday ahead of his announcement Monday that he would drop his bid for re-election in 2026, according to sources. (Bloomberg/Getty)

Klobuchar did not comment on her future political plans in a statement released Monday. But the senator, commenting on the governor’s decision to fight the fraud scandal full time rather than seek another term, said that “Walz made the difficult decision to focus on his job and the challenges facing our state rather than campaigning and running for office.”

The senator won her four Senate elections by wide margins, including a nearly 16-point re-election bid in 2024.

But Klobuchar, who is currently the number three Democratic Senate leader, faces obstacles to the party leadership in the House.

WILL MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL FORCE RESIGNATIONS?

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is currently the top Democrat in the upper chamber and is not expected to leave his post. But Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, is retiring from Congress, leaving room for filling the leadership hierarchy. Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, however, is the heir apparent to the position.

Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar was twice elected district attorney of Hennepin County, Minnesota’s most populous. She also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party nomination in the 2020 presidential election.

The announcement by Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, comes amid harsh criticism over his handling of his state’s massive welfare fraud scandal.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, during a news conference at the Minnesota State Capitol on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn., announces he is dropping his 2026 re-election bid. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

“Reflecting on this moment with my family and team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I could not give my all in a political campaign,” Walz wrote in a statement. “Every minute I spend advocating for my own political interests would be a minute I cannot spend defending Minnesotans against the criminals who take advantage of our generosity and the cynics who take advantage of our differences.”

“So I have decided to withdraw from this race and let others worry about the elections while I focus on the work that awaits me for next year,” the governor added in his statement and in front of the cameras a few hours later. The governor did not answer any questions but said Tuesday he would return to “answer all your questions.”

GOP LEGISLATOR UNVEILS WALZ LAW AFTER BILLIONS LOST IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

Walz launched his bid for a third four-year term as Minnesota governor in September, but in recent weeks he has faced a barrage of political fire from President Donald Trump and Republicans, as well as some Democrats, over large-scale theft in a state that has long prided itself on good governance.

More than 90 people — most from Minnesota’s large Somali community — have been charged since 2022 in what has been described as the nation’s largest scheme of the COVID era. The amount of money that was stolen in suspected money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, child care and Medicaid services is still being calculated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scale of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and reach $9 billion.

Prosecutors said some of the dozens of people who have already pleaded guilty in the case used the money to buy luxury cars, real estate, jewelry and international vacations, with some of the money also being sent abroad and potentially into the hands of Islamist terrorists.

“It’s on my watch, I’m responsible for it, and most importantly, I’m the one who’s going to fix it,” Walz told reporters last month as he took responsibility for the scandal.

The governor has taken steps to stop some of the alleged fraudulent payments and ordered an external audit of Medicaid billing in the state.

But Trump has repeatedly criticized Walz as “incompetent” and, during Thanksgiving, used a slur toward people with intellectual disabilities to describe the governor.

The scandal, which has received national attention over the past two months, went viral over the past two weeks after the release of a video by 23-year-old YouTube content creator Nick Shirley exposing widespread fraud at Somali-run daycares. Days later, the Trump administration froze federal funding for child care in Minnesota.

Courtney Alexander, communications director for the Republican Governors Association, charged in a statement that “Walz’s failed leadership is emblematic of the Minnesota Democrats’ agenda and whoever Democrats choose to replace Walz at the top of the ticket will have to defend years of mismanagement and misplaced priorities.”

But Democratic Governors Association (DGA) Chairman Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement, “No matter who decides to run or how much national Republicans want to spend, the DGA remains very confident that Minnesotans will elect another strong Democratic governor in November.” »

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And Besehar praised Walz, a former DGA chairman, as “a true leader who has delivered results that will make life better for Minnesota workers and families for years to come.”

About a dozen Republicans are vying for the GOP governorship, including Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, state Rep. Kristin Robbins, former state Sen. Scott Jensen and health technology executive Kendall Qualls, a former congressional and gubernatorial candidate.