As quickly as news broke that Gov. Tim Walz is no longer seeking a third term, so too did the speculation on whether a certain Democrat — Sen. Amy Klobuchar — might turn her attention toward running for his seat. 

A source tells WCCO's Caroline Cummings the senator is being encouraged to run for governor, but no decision has been made yet. She's currently serving her fourth term in office as U.S. senator. 

If she were to run for governor in Minnesota, what would happen to her current role in Washington? Would she have to resign? Similar questions were asked when Walz was picked as Kamala Harris' running mate for the White House. 

The answer remains the same. Minnesota is not a resign-to-run state, meaning a lawmaker can maintain their current position while running for a different office. They only need to resign if they win. 

The five states that do have some form of a resign-to-run law include Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii and Texas. 

If Klobuchar runs for governor and wins, how would she be replaced in the U.S. Senate? The usual path would be through appointment by Minnesota's governor. That's how it happened in 2017 when Sen. Al Franken stepped down; then-Gov. Mark Dayton picked Tina Smith, his lieutenant governor at the time, to replace Franken. It remains to be seen which governor would decide how to fill the Senate seat between the outgoing Walz or incoming Klobuchar, in this specific scenario. 

The appointment to the U.S. Senate by a governor is only temporary. A special election follows to determine who finishes the term, which Smith won in Nov. 2018. Although 2027 is an off-year on the general election calendar, a special election can still be called for Nov. 2027, if necessary. 

It's worth noting that Klobuchar isn't necessarily the only Democratic Party name some are speculating could enter the governor's race. And, on the Republican side of the ticket, there are already in excess of six names who have indicated their intentions to run, including:

• Mike Lindell, MyPillow CEO and President Trump associate 
• Lisa Demuth, Minnesota House speaker
• Scott Jensen, former state senator and Walz's 2022 challenger
• Kristin Robbins, state representative
• Kendall Qualls, businessman 
• Chris Madel, defense attorney
• David Hann, former Minnesota Senate minority leader, former Republican Party of Minnesota chair