Amy Klobuchar, a longtime U.S. senator and one of the most respected leaders of the Democratic Party, has entered the race for governor of Minnesota, setting up a prestigious contest in a state rocked by political, social and legal problems.
Klobuchar, 65, is running to oppose President Donald Trump and push back against his administration’s immigration crackdown. Her entry gives Democrats a proven statewide winner as they seek to retain the governor’s office after Gov. Tim Walz withdrew from seeking a third term.
A familiar face in Minnesota politics
Klobuchar is Minnesota’s senior senator, a position she has held since 2007. She is a member of the Democratic-Farm-Labor (DFL) party and is widely known for her pragmatic, centrist style and ability to win votes across urban, suburban and rural Minnesota.
She was Minnesota’s first elected senator and won every statewide race she entered by comfortable margins. She narrowly defeated Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in her 2024 re-election bid in the state.
From Prosecutor to Senator
Before entering national politics, Klobuchar built a career as a local prosecutor.
She served as the Hennepin County attorney from 1999 to 2007
He led one of the largest prosecutor’s offices in the Midwest
He built a reputation for being tough on crime while supporting victim protection and public safety reforms
That law-and-order background is now central to her tenure as governor as Minnesota debates crime, policing and federal immigration enforcement.
Trump critic
Klobuchar gained national attention during Donald Trump’s first presidency, particularly for her sharp questioning of judicial nominees and her role in congressional investigations following the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
As chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, she helped lead an investigation into security failures at the Capitol and pushed for reforms to election laws and democratic guarantees.
She has been among Trump’s most vocal Democratic critics, particularly on immigration, civil liberties and federal law enforcement tactics — issues that are now central to the Minnesota governor’s race.
Read also | Trump and his team have a well-worn crisis playbook. It failed in Minnesota.
2020 presidential candidacy
Klobuchar ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, presenting herself as a Midwestern moderate with broad appeal.
She performed strongly in early contests in Iowa and New Hampshire
He later dropped out and endorsed Joe Biden
He was considered for a cabinet role and briefly vetted as a possible vice presidential pick
Although she did not win the nomination, the campaign boosted her national profile.
We have a race in Minnesota ahead of us
Republicans have already lined up several candidates, including MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, former state Sen. Scott Jensen and senior state lawmakers. Immigration, crime, federal power and alleged fraud in state programs are expected to dominate the campaign.
If elected, Klobuchar would leave the Senate after nearly two decades to lead the state she has represented throughout her political career.
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