Sen. Amy Klobuchar has won Minnesota’s gubernatorial race, NBC News projects, a victory that will make her the first woman to lead the Midwestern state.
Klobuchar, 66, defeated Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth, extending the Democratic Party’s hold on the governor’s mansion. Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor since 2006.
Although the national political environment favored Democrats this year, the party’s image in the state has been tarnished in recent years. Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2024, has faced scrutiny over how the state has handled allegations of child care fraud.
Walz abandoned his bid for a third term in early January, later vowing he would “never run for elected office again.”
Klobuchar then entered the Democratic gubernatorial primary and easily won the nomination. In launching her campaign for governor, Klobuchar pledged to be a bulwark against President Donald Trump, whose administration this year deployed federal immigration agents to Minnesota as part of a sweeping crackdown that some residents likened to an “invasion.”
“Minnesota, we’ve been through a lot,” Klobuchar said, referring to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by U.S. immigration agents, as well as the assassinations last year of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
“These times require leaders who can stand up and not endorse this administration, but who are also willing to find common ground and make things right in our state,” Klobuchar said. “These times require courage and resilience. »
She also praised the social services scandals that have rocked Minnesota, pledging to take a hard line against any abuse of public money.
“I will make sure people who steal taxpayer dollars are put in jail and root out fraud by changing the way state government works,” she said. “I will do my job without fear or favor. I have never hesitated to confront the powerful.”
Klobuchar began his career in public service as Hennepin County’s top prosecutor. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, making her the first woman from the state to be elected to the chamber. She was comfortably re-elected in 2012, 2018 and 2024.
Klobuchar also sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.
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