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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) departs after President Donald Trump spoke during an address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025. Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) took a step toward running for Minnesota governor on Jan. 22 by filing paperwork creating a fundraising committee with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.
The filing creates “Minnesotans for Klobuchar” with email addresses linked to MBA Consulting Group, a firm that provides services for political action committees, candidates, and nonprofits, according to its website. She is registered as a potential candidate for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s nomination.
Klobuchar, 65, is in her fourth term as a U.S. senator. She briefly ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 before ending her campaign and backing Joe Biden. She had been rumored as a potential candidate for governor and said earlier this month in a CNN interview that she was “seriously considering” a run after Gov. Tim Walz withdrew his reelection bid.
Walz, a Democrat, announced on Jan. 5 that he would not run for another term. He said he spoke with his family and team and concluded that he could not focus on winning reelection.
“Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences,” Walz said in a statement posted to X. “So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.”
Walz’s announcement came as President Donald Trump and administration officials had taken action against Minnesota amid widespread fraud allegations in the state. The federal government has taken measures such as freezing funds for child care after alleged fraudulent day care schemes were uncovered.
The governor criticized the freeze on child care funds, saying, “They want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.”
Federal officials have also indicted and convicted dozens of people in a $250 million operation that allegedly included crimes such as wire fraud, FBI Director Kash Patel said at the end of December 2025.
Walz said on Jan. 5, “For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state’s generosity.”
He said that people should be concerned about fraud but that state officials have been making progress.
Walz, 61, announced a reelection effort in 2024. He has been governor since 2019, and he won reelection in 2022 with 1.3 million votes to Republican Scott Jensen’s 1.1 million votes. Walz was also the vice presidential nominee in then-Vice President Kamala Harris’s unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign.
Republicans throwing their hat in for governor include Jensen, Minnesota state Rep. Peggy Bennett, and Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow and a Trump ally. The most recent Republican governor held the office until 2011, and Democratic/DFL candidates have won in the elections since.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said in a statement after Walz’s announcement that the group was certain that Democrats would hold the seat.
“No matter who decides to run or how much national Republicans want to spend, the DGA remains very confident Minnesotans will elect another strong Democratic governor this November,” Beshear said.
Former Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) said on Jan. 5 that he does not intend to enter the gubernatorial race or run for the U.S. Senate in 2026.
Chase is an award-winning journalist. He covers national politics for The Epoch Times. For news tips, send Chase an email at [email protected] or connect with him on X.
