Klobuchar will run for Minnesota governor after Walz exit : NPR

Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota speaks during a hearing at the Capitol December 3, 2025 in Washington, DC.

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced her candidacy for governor of Minnesota Thursday morning with a video posted on X, following Governor Tim Walz’s recent announcement that he was ending his bid for a third term in office.

“Minnesotians, we’ve been through a lot,” Klobuchar said in the video, going on to recount several tragedies the state has faced in recent months, including the separate shootings of two U.S. citizens by ICE agents.

“We can’t hide how difficult it is,” she said. “But in these times of enormous difficulty, we find strength in our Minnesota values ​​of hard work, freedom, simple decency and good will.”

“I believe we will stand up for what is right and fix what is wrong,” Klobuchar added before making it official. “That’s why, today, I’m announcing my candidacy for governor of Minnesota.”

Klobuchar, who won a fourth Senate term in 2024, has racked up double-digit victories in each of her races. In 2020, she ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign among a large field of Democratic candidates.

When Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced he would drop his re-election bid, the idea of ​​Klobuchar entering the race began to emerge.

“I really like my job,” Klobuchar told Minnesota Public Radio on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday’s announcement. “And Minnesota has given me this honor to serve them in the Senate. But I love my state more.”

Walz faced criticism of President Trump from state Republicans for allegations of widespread social services fraud under his watch. There is no evidence that Walz participated in the fraud or committed other crimes, but his political opponents say he failed to stop the massive theft of taxpayer dollars during his time in office.

As a sitting governor, Walz faced no competition from other Democratic candidates. Still, more than a dozen Republicans are in the race for governor, including House Speaker Lisa Demuth, the state’s top Republican, businessman Kendall Qualls, state Rep. Kristin Robbins and My Pillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell.

Klobuchar’s entry could also shake up the GOP camp, as some candidates reassess their chances of defeating a durable statewide official instead of the politically wounded Walz.

Last week, when Klobuchar filed initial paperwork to run for governor, the Minnesota Republican Party called on her to resign from the Senate while she campaigned for another office.

“Minnesota needs a governor who puts his all into it, not a Washington insider who leads a gutless political hearing,” Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Alex Plechash said in a statement. “If Klobuchar can’t even choose the office she wants, Minnesotans can be sure she won’t have the strength to solve the problems Democrats created.”

Former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty is among those who said Republicans’ chances of winning the governor’s seat for the first time in 20 years would diminish if Klobuchar joins the race.

“This is going to fundamentally change the race for governor in Minnesota,” Pawlenty told MPR News. “She would be a very, very formidable candidate in this race and so that changes everything.”