Sen Amy Klobuchar enters 2026 Minnesota governor race after Walz drops out

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Longtime Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Thursday formally jumped into the 2026 race for Minnesota governor, three weeks after the beautiful transfer by Gov. Tim Walz to drop his re-election bid amid political fallout from an enormous fraud scandal.

Klobuchar, who simply 15 months in the past was handily re-elected to a fourth six-year time period within the U.S. Senate, spotlighted the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota in a video launched on social media.

"These occasions name for leaders who can get up and never be rubber stamps of this administration, however who're additionally prepared to seek out frequent floor and sort things in our state," she stated.

Klobuchar's marketing campaign launch comes as Minnesota is firmly within the nationwide highlight, due to the continuing fraud scandal, which has been described because the nation's largest COVID-era scheme.

And over the previous month, the state has develop into the epicenter within the heated battle over President Donald Trump's aggressive crackdown on unlawful immigration, following the deadly shootings by federal brokers of two U.S. residents in Minneapolis who had been protesting deportation operations.

WALZ ON GOP CALLS FOR HIM TO RESIGN OVER FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘OVER MY DEAD BODY’

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is launching a marketing campaign for governor within the 2026 race to succeed Gov. Tim Walz, a fellow Democrat. (David Swanson/Reuters)

Klobuchar's marketing campaign launch provides Democrats a high-profile candidate with fundraising prowess to defend the governor's workplace as Republicans intention to finish a two-decade-long dropping streak within the blue-leaning state.

The transfer by Klobuchar was anticipated, after the senator two weeks in the past filed preliminary paperwork with the Minnesota Marketing campaign Finance Board in what sources in her political orbit instructed Fox Information Digital was a "preliminary step."

And since final month's announcement by Walz , a fellow Democrat, that he was scrapping his bid for an unprecedented third time period as Minnesota governor, Klobuchar had been receiving calls urging her to run, Democratic sources confirmed to Fox Information Digital.

The senator has gained all 4 of her Senate elections by wholesome margins, together with a virtually 16-point re-election in 2024.

However Klobuchar, who's at the moment quantity three in Senate Democratic leadership , confronted hurdles to rise larger in occasion management within the chamber.

FRAUD FALLOUT FORCES WALZ TO ABANDON GUBERNATORIAL RE-ELECTION BID

Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer of New York is the highest Democrat within the higher chamber and is not anticipated to depart his publish.

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, the quantity two Democrat within the chamber, is retiring from Congress, leaving a gap to fill within the management pecking order. However Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii is the anticipated inheritor obvious for that place.

Earlier than serving within the Senate, Klobuchar was elected twice as county lawyer in Hennepin County, Minnesota's most populous .

She additionally ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Get together's 2020 presidential nomination. And a visit by Klobuchar final summer season to the first-in-the-nation presidential major state of New Hampshire sparked hypothesis that Klobuchar could also be mulling one other White Home run in 2028.

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Walz launched his re-election bid in September, however in December began going through a barrage of incoming political fireplace from Trump and Republicans, and a few Democrats, over the large-scale theft, below his watch as governor, in a state that has lengthy prided itself on good governance.

Greater than 90 folks — most from Minnesota's giant Somali group — have been charged since 2022.

How a lot cash has been stolen by alleged cash laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing applications, daycare facilities and Medicaid companies continues to be being tabulated. However the U.S. lawyer in Minnesota stated the scope of the fraud might exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion.

INSIDE THE RISE AND FALL OF TIM WALZ

Prosecutors stated among the dozens which have already pleaded responsible within the case used the cash to purchase luxurious automobiles, actual property, jewellery and worldwide holidays, with among the funds additionally despatched abroad and doubtlessly into the fingers of Islamic terrorists.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz introduced he will not search re-election as he holds a information convention on the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio by way of AP)

"That is on my watch, I'm accountable for this and, extra importantly, I'm the one that can repair it," Walz instructed reporters in December, as he took accountability for the scandal.

However the scandal went viral late final 12 months following the discharge of a video by 23-year-old YouTube content material creator Nick Shirley, who alleged widespread fraud at Somali-run daycare facilities. Days later, the Trump administration froze federal childcare funding to Minnesota.

A defiant Walz vocally pushed again towards calls by Republican state lawmakers to resign amid the state's sweeping fraud scandal.

"I am not going anyplace. And you may make all of your requests for me to resign. Over my lifeless physique will that occur," the governor instructed reporters.

Almost a dozen Republicans are vying to be the GOP's gubernatorial nominee, together with Minnesota Home Speaker Lisa Demuth, state Rep. Kristin Robbins, former state Sen. Scott Jensen, and healthcare expertise government Kendall Qualls, a previous congressional and gubernatorial candidate. They usually've made the fraud scandal central to their campaigns.

However a kind of candidates, a Republican outsider and Minneapolis lawyer who represented the federal immigration agent who fatally shot Renee Good in early January, ended his Republican bid for Minnesota governor after nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal brokers every week and a half in the past.

A screengrab from a video reveals a regulation enforcement officer spraying irritants at Alex Pretti earlier than he was fatally shot by federal brokers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 24, 2026. (Reuters)

"I can't help the nationwide Republicans’ said retribution on the residents of our state," Chris Madel stated in a message posted on social media, as he introduced he was dropping his outsider bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. "Nor can I depend myself a member of a celebration that may accomplish that."

It has been 20 years since Republicans have gained a gubernatorial election in Minnesota. It's a must to return to then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty's 2006 re-election victory.

However Minnesota Republicans entered the brand new 12 months "feeling assured of Republican wins in 2026 due to the fraud challenge," Amy Koch, a Minnesota-based Republican strategist and former state senator instructed Fox Information Digital.

FALLOUT FROM MINNESOTA SHOOTINGS BY FEDERAL AGENTS PUT REPUBLICANS ON DEFENSE

That was earlier than the huge deployment of federal brokers to Minneapolis as a part of the Trump administration's efforts to deport tens of millions of undocumented migrants, and the deadly shootings of Good and Pretti.

Folks protest towards the deadly capturing of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, throughout a rally outdoors the Whipple Constructing on Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Tim Evans/Reuters)

"I feel it’s going to make issues tougher… The photographs and the vitality behind the ICE out motion will certainly play towards Republicans," stated Koch, the primary and solely girl elected as Minnesota Senate majority chief. "4 weeks in the past, I'd have instructed you Republicans had been going to do extremely nicely statewide in Minnesota, and now I've numerous questions."

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Republican Governors Affiliation communications director Courtney Alexander stated in a press release final month that "Walz’s failed management is emblematic of Minnesota Democrats’ agenda and whoever Democrats select to switch Walz with on the high of the ticket might want to defend years of mismanagement and misplaced priorities."

However the Democratic Governors Affiliation (DGA) chair, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, stated final month,"Regardless of who decides to run or how a lot nationwide Republicans need to spend, the DGA stays very assured Minnesotans will elect one other sturdy Democratic governor this November.""

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter primarily based within the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the marketing campaign path from coast to coast."