Sen. Amy Klobuchar wins the Minnesota governor’s race, extending Democrats’ hold on the state

Sen. Amy Klobuchar has won the Minnesota governor’s race, NBC News projects, a victory that will make her the first woman to lead the Midwestern state.Klobuchar, 66, defeated Republican Lisa Demuth, the state House speaker, extending the Democratic Party’s grip on the governor’s mansion. Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor since 2006.Although the national political environment favored Democrats this year, the party’s brand in the state has been tarnished in recent years. Two-term Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2024, faced intense scrutiny over the state’s handling of daycare fraud allegations.Walz abandoned his bid for a third term in early January, later vowing he would “never run for an elected office again.”Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.Ellen Schmidt / AP Klobuchar then jumped into the Democratic gubernatorial primary and went on to easily win the nomination. In launching her campaign for governor, Klobuchar pledged to be a bulwark against President Donald Trump, whose administration deployed federal immigration officers to Minnesota this year as part of a sweeping crackdown that some residents likened to an “invasion.”“Minnesota, we’ve been through a lot,” Klobuchar said, referring to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by U.S. immigration agents, as well as the assassinations last year of former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.“These times call for leaders who can stand up and not be rubber stamps for this administration but who are also willing to find common ground and fix things in our state,” Klobuchar said. “These times call for grit and resilience.”She also nodded to the social services scandals that have roiled Minnesota, pledging to take a hard line against any abuse of public money.“I will make sure the people who steal taxpayer money go to jail and root out the fraud by changing the way state government works,” she said. “I will do my job without fear or favor. I’ve never shied away from taking on the powerful.”Klobuchar started her career in public office as Hennepin County’s top prosecutor. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, making her the state’s first woman to be elected to the chamber. She comfortably won re-election in 2012, 2018 and 2024.Klobuchar also unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.