Amy Klobuchar has won the Minnesota governor’s race, becoming the first woman to hold the office after defeating Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth.
The Democratic senator will succeed Tim Walz, who announced in January that he would not seek an unprecedented third term. Ms Klobuchar entered the contest after Mr Walz’s decision.
Fraud scandal shaped Minnesota governor race
The election was dominated by a fraud scandal involving state-run social services programmes intended to provide food, shelter, healthcare and childcare.
Dozens of people have been convicted of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the schemes. Federal prosecutors have estimated that the total loss could eventually exceed 9 billion dollars.
The cases attracted wider attention after a video by a right-wing influencer went viral late last year, prompting interest from President Donald Trump and other Republicans.
Most of the defendants are of Somali descent, leading Mr Trump and other Republicans to focus on Minnesota’s large Somali community. Mr Walz and other local officials have criticised that emphasis.
Ms Klobuchar has made tackling fraud a central pledge, promising an audit of state government and greater investment in technology to identify and prevent wrongdoing. She has also pointed to her time as Hennepin County’s head prosecutor and said she would ensure those who break the law are convicted.
Her wider agenda includes reducing the cost of healthcare, childcare and housing, cutting barriers to homebuilding, improving school test scores and reducing screen time in schools.
She chose Ben Schierer, the mayor of Fergus Falls, as her running mate for lieutenant governor.
Lisa Demuth’s campaign
Ms Demuth, who was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2018, became speaker under a power-sharing agreement after the 2024 elections left the chamber evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats.
She would have become Minnesota’s first Black governor. Her campaign focused on the fraud scandal, violent crime and education, as Republicans sought to end their long run of defeats in gubernatorial elections.
Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor since Tim Pawlenty in 2006. Ms Demuth won her party’s primary in August against MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and Kendall Qualls.
By mid-October, Ms Klobuchar had raised more than 15.5 million dollars for her campaign, compared with 3.6 million dollars raised by Ms Demuth.
Ms Klobuchar was first elected to the US Senate in 2006 and has won each of her Senate races by double-digit margins. She also briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 before endorsing Joe Biden, and has repeatedly said she will not run for president in 2028.
