Klobuchar declares Minnesota governor run as Walz vows not to seek office again | Minnesota
Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic U.S. senator and former presidential candidate, announced she would run for governor of Minnesota, an expected move after incumbent Gov. Tim Walz dropped out of the race in early January.
Klobuchar’s announcement comes less than 24 hours after Walz said he would never run for public office again.
“Minnesota, we’ve been through a lot,” Klobuchar said in a video posted to
She continued: “We cannot hide how difficult this is, but in these times of enormous difficulty, we find strength in our Minnesota values of hard work, freedom, simple decency and good will. These times need leaders who can stand up and not be rubber stamps of this administration.”
She also emphasized, “I’m running for everyone…for every Minnesotan who wants ICE and its abusive tactics out of the state we love.” »
Klobuchar’s four-minute video announcement went on to lay out three principles that would guide her work, including a commitment to “stand up for what’s right and fix what’s wrong.”
In a nod to the state’s public fraud scandal, which served as a pretext for Trump’s immigration enforcement operations, Klobuchar said she would ensure that “the people who steal taxpayer dollars go to jail and root out the fraud.”
Federal prosecutors have estimated that up to $9 billion was stolen through schemes exploiting federal relief programs, including food assistance programs during the Covid pandemic.
Walz had already decided not to seek a third term as governor after clashing with the Trump administration’s decision to send federal agents purportedly seeking to root out “vicious” criminals linked to the public programs fraud scandal. He told reporters in a Jan. 5 statement: “I don’t think any governor in history has had to wage war against the federal government every day. »
Speaking to MS Now Wednesday evening, Walz acknowledged that ordinary citizens have played a leading role in the state’s efforts to resist ICE. Thousands of people joined forces to evict federal agents from Minneapolis.
“There are heroes in the streets and we don’t know their names,” Walz said. “And these rank-and-file leaders brought this administration to its knees this week to do something about it. »
The Democratic governor previously campaigned to become Kamala Harris’ running mate in her 2024 race against President Trump. Waltz didn’t say what he plans to do next, but told MS Now: “There are other ways to serve, and I will find them.” »
Klobuchar, 65, filed the first paperwork on Jan. 22, preparing to run for governor. Walz reportedly spoke to Klobuchar about his candidacy before announcing he would not pursue a third term.
Klobuchar has won handily every time she has run for U.S. Senate, most recently in 2024 when she won by more than 15 points.
She has been a member of the Senate since 2007 and previously served two terms as Hennepin County Prosecutor. She ran in the Democratic primary for president in 2020 before dropping out and supporting Joe Biden.
Fraud cases — which include the misuse of funds for student meal programs, Medicaid and autism services — will likely be a focus of the gubernatorial race. There are a large number of candidates on the right, including the speaker of the State House, right-wing influencers and pillow salesman Mike Lindell.
