After a career breaking barriers in Minnesota politics, Minnesota U.S. Sen Amy Klobuchar broke another on Tuesday night, becoming the state’s first woman elected governor. With nearly 80 percent of precincts reporting, Klobuchar held 55 percent of the vote.
Klobuchar, a former Hennepin County prosecutor, jumped into the governor’s race late after Gov. Tim Walz announced he wouldn’t seek reelection. She campaigned on a message of ending fraud in state government and making the state work better for its citizens.
Her background working across the political aisle in Washington and campaigning across each of Minnesota’s 87 counties helped her pick up the support she needed to overcome a challenge from Republican Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House.
“I stand before you today as the granddaughter of an iron ore miner who never got to graduate from high school, the daughter of a teacher and a newspaperman, and as the first woman elected to the United States Senate from this state, and tonight because of you, the first woman elected governor of the state of Minnesota,” Klobuchar told supporters Tuesday night.
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Democratic candidates, supporters and volunteers packed a ballroom at the Intercontinental Hotel in St. Paul and overflowed into an adjoining space. They cheered and hoisted Klobuchar signs, at times yelling out, “Amy.”
‘Work my heart out’
Klobuchar said the series of events that led to her bid for governor were complicated but she felt well-positioned for the moment.
“You know I’ve loved my job in the Senate, but I love my state more,” Klobuchar said. “As your next governor, I will work my heart out. I promise you that. And I will be a transformative governor. In Minnesota, trust is not given; it is earned. It comes with expectations. And that is results. We will deliver results. Results you can see and feel in your life.”
She said she would work across the political aisle in St. Paul, even if that meant ruffling feathers in her party or with Republicans.
“I will need people out there at my side, both parties. And spoiler alert: you may not going to like every single thing I do,” she told Democrats at a watch party in St. Paul.
Governor-elect Amy Klobuchar informs the crowd at the DFL election party at the InterContinental Hotel in St. Paul that Minnesota GOP house speaker Lisa Demuth conceded the race to her on Tuesday.
Courtesy of Casey Marble | University of Minnesota
Klobuchar noted that it would have been Harper Moyski’s birthday on Tuesday. She was one of two children killed in a fatal shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School last year.
The governor-elect committed to passing a package of new restrictions on firearms. And Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL- St. Paul, said that would be a top priority.
‘I want to move us forward’
While Republicans up and down the ticket focused on fraud, Klobuchar addressed the issue early, standing alongside former Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger as she spelled out her plan to tackle it.
Public polling suggested more voters trusted Klobuchar, 66, to address fraud than Demuth, despite the fraud coming to the service during Walz’s administration.
Throughout her campaign, Klobuchar said she would offer a change in leadership from Walz. She rolled out detailed plans on housing, health care, public safety and other priorities while citing bipartisan legislation proposed in Minnesota, enacted in other states or adopted by local communities here.
“I’m not interested in moving Minnesota to the left or the right,” she said in what became a refrain. “I want to move us forward.”
Demuth, R-Cold Spring, entered the race last year as part of a crowded field of Republicans vying to unseat Walz, who was pursuing an unprecedented third consecutive four-year term in office.
Lisa Demuth shakes hands with running mate Ryan Wilson after conceding the race for Minnesota Governor in front of supporters at the Minnesota Republican Party’s election night party on Tuesday in Bloomington.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
Demuth touted her work in the divided House. She said voters needed to send Republicans to St. Paul to clean up fraud in state government programs. The former school board member and businesswoman also committed to trimming the state’s budget, which she said ballooned under DFL control in 2023 and 2024 without enough return on investment.
In her concession speech, Demuth made a call for unity.
“As our state moves forward, there are still things that need to be fixed and done. And my request of all of you is that we work together, and we hold people accountable for the changes and protections that need to happen in this state,” she told a crowd at a Republican Party election night party.
Whirlwind journey
As reports of fraud in Minnesota intensified late last year, the Trump administration withheld funds to the state. The administration ultimately deployed thousands of immigration agents to Minnesota in the name of fighting fraud. Two U.S. citizens were killed by federal agents and hundreds were detained.
Then came another twist: Walz withdrew his reelection bid citing a desire to spend his final months in office fighting fraud. The move shook up the race and created an opening for Klobuchar, Minnesota’s senior U.S. senator, to step in.
Klobuchar committed to fighting fraud by launching an audit of state government and using her background as a former Hennepin County attorney to prosecute those who abuse taxpayer money. She also pointed to her background working across the aisle in Washington. She said St. Paul would benefit from a governor willing to set partisanship aside.
While Klobuchar easily won the DFL endorsement in May, Demuth lost at the Republican Party convention to businessman Kendall Qualls. After a kerfuffle with voting devices at the convention in Duluth, party leaders gave candidates the go ahead to run in a primary, even if they’d committed to abide by the endorsement.
That laid the groundwork for a three-way primary between Qualls, Demuth and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, who was President Donald Trump’s pick. Demuth won and advanced to the head-to-head contest with Klobuchar.
Demuth and Klobuchar have both broken barriers during their political careers. Klobuchar was the first woman elected Hennepin County attorney and first woman chosen by Minnesota voters to represent them in the U.S. Senate.
Demuth was the first woman and first Black Minnesotan to serve as House Republican Caucus leader and as House speaker.
MPR News reporter Ellie Roth contributed to this report from Bloomington.
