Sen. Amy Klobuchar launches campaign for Minnesota governor as federal immigration crackdown puts state in spotlight

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Thursday launched her campaign to be Minnesota's next governor, a surprise twist in the race for the top job in the state as it experiences an unprecedented immigration enforcement operation that's ignited a national debate. 

Her gubernatorial bid comes just weeks after DFL incumbent Gov. Tim Walz's abrupt end to his re-election campaign.

In an announcement video on social media, Klobuchar began by acknowledging that Minnesota has "been through a lot" — not only with the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in less than three weeks, but also the murder of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School last summer.

"We cannot sugarcoat how hard this is, but in these moments of enormous difficulty, we find strength in our Minnesota values of hard work, freedom, and simple decency and good will," Klobuchar said. "These times call for leaders who can stand up and not be rubber stamps of this administration, but who are also willing to find common ground and fix things in our state."

She enters the race as a formidable candidate at a time when Republicans are hopeful about their chances to win statewide for the first time since 2006 — the first year Klobuchar won her Senate seat. 

Since that first election, she's been the top vote-getter across both parties when she appears on the ballot. In 2024, she outperformed Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on the presidential ticket by more than 135,000 votes. 

Her campaign came together quickly after Walz earlier this month abruptly ended his bid for a historic third consecutive, four-year term amid mounting scrutiny over his administration's handling of fraud in state social services programs, which prosecutors said could reach as high as $9 billion.

Klobuchar vowed to "fix what's wrong" with fraud and root out the problems by "changing how state government works." 

If she becomes the DFL nominee — and so far she faces no serious challenger from within her party — and is elected in November, she would be the first woman to be governor. 

Among the Republican candidates hoping for their party's endorsement are House Speaker Lisa Demuth, businessman and veteran Kendall Qualls, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, Rep. Kristin Robbins and 2022 GOP nominee Dr. Scott Jensen. 

Immediately following her campign launch, Republicans in statements largely criticized Klobuchar as an extension of the Walz administration, despite his exit from the race. Alex Plecash, chairman of Minnesota GOP, called her a "rubber stamp" for Democrats' policies over the last two decades "that put Minnesota on its current path."

"Under their leadership, more than half of Minnesota students cannot read or do math at grade level, massive fraud went unchecked, property taxes skyrocketed, and families were forced out of their homes," Plecash said of her earlier endorsement of Walz. "If she supported this record then, why should Minnesotans believe she would govern any differently now?"

The formal announcement Thursday came while Klobuchar is in Washington for key votes on government funding — a potential partial shutdown looms Friday. She and other Democrats want more accountability measures for the Department of Homeland Security and its officers in wake of the two deadly shootings by immigration agents in Minneapolis this month.

"I like my job in the Senate. But I love our state more than any job. I love the people of Minnesota," she said.

Klobuchar is currently serving her fourth term in the U.S. Senate and sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2020. She also spent eight years as Hennepin County attorney.

This story is developing and will be updated.