Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is expected to decide whether or not she will run for governor in light of current Gov. Tim Walz’s decision not to seek a third term amid numerous fraud scandals in the state, according to The New York Times.
Klobuchar reportedly met with Walz on Sunday and defended him in an X post on Monday after his announcement.
“Governor Walz made the difficult decision to focus on his job and the challenges facing our state rather than campaigning and running for reelection. He has always dedicated his career to delivering for Minnesota — from providing school breakfast and lunches to our kids to passing gun safety legislation to maintaining our state’s AAA bond rating. He is a true public servant,” the senator wrote.
The high-ranking Democrat could create another open seat if she were to be elected governor, and she would then get to appoint her own successor.
This unfolds against the backdrop of an open Senate battle for retiring Sen. Tina Smith’s seat, including a hotly competitive Democratic primary between Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
Flanagan said in an X post on Monday that she is “focused on [her] race for U.S. Senate to ensure people can afford the lives they want to live.” Craig expressed thanks to Walz for his “service” to Minnesota and said that the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party “must nominate the strongest possible candidate in every race on the ballot in November” to counteract the Trump administration.
Republicans are feeling optimistic that Walz’s announcement and the ongoing fraud scandals could present an opening for them in the upper Midwestern state. President Donald Trump lost Minnesota in 2024 by just over 4%, but Klobuchar won in the same cycle by nearly 16% against Republican Royce White.
“After presiding over one of the biggest fraud scandals in history, it’s no wonder that Tim Walz is being forced to drop his re-election bid. Walz’s failed leadership is emblematic of Minnesota Democrats’ agenda and whoever Democrats choose to replace Walz with at the top of the ticket will need to defend years of mismanagement and misplaced priorities,” Republican Governors Association Communications Director Courtney Alexander said in a statement on Monday, pointing out that it was not long ago that Walz was close to becoming the next vice president.
Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships
Even in the open Senate race, there is a degree of hopefulness from the Republicans, as reports swirled that former sportscaster Michelle Tafoya could jump into that race.
“The seriously retired Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota Democrats like Peggy Flanagan and Angie Craig oversaw massive fraud that has hurt Minnesotans, and their failed leadership puts Minnesota in play for Republicans in 2026,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia stated on Monday.
When The Daily Wire reached out to Flanagan’s campaign prior to Walz’s announcement, a spokesperson said that “what’s hard to take seriously is Republicans talking about accountability while Donald Trump has pardoned 27 corporate fraudsters and fired the Inspectors General whose job it is to police fraud” and added that “the Lt. Governor has made clear that the amount of fraud that is acceptable is zero.”
Cook Political Report ranks both the Senate and gubernatorial races as “Likely Democrat.” The last Republican to hold the governor’s office was Tim Pawlenty, who left office in 2011, and Norm Coleman was the last Republican senator for the state, whose term ended in 2009.
.png)
.png)
