Sen. Amy Klobuchar may run for governor

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is being encouraged to run for Minnesota governor and is seriously considering it now that Tim Walz has dropped out of the race, according to a person familiar with her thinking.

Walz met with Klobuchar on Sunday, Jan. 4, before he announced the following morning that he is dropping out of the 2026 governor’s race, several people familiar with the meeting said.

Democrats in Minnesota were buzzing about the possibility of a Klobuchar candidacy while also processing Walz’s exit from the race.

As the sitting governor, Walz wasn’t facing a challenge for the DFL Party nomination for the office. His announcement will leave the office open for the first time in eight years and reshape voters’ options in the 2026 elections, which had previously expected to feature longtime Democratic incumbents running for the state’s top jobs.

Last summer, as Walz struggled with whether to seek a third term as governor, various Democrats — from Klobuchar and other statewide officeholders to legislators and local officials — were floated as possible candidates.

“My first job out of college was working for Amy Klobuchar,” said Minnesota House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson, who worked on one of her previous campaigns. “She sent me emails at all hours of the night. No one works harder than Amy Klobuchar.”

“If she decides to run,” Stephenson said, “she will be a force to be reckoned with.”

“Democrats want to replace him with Senator Amy Klobuchar — a career Washington politician who would bring the same failed, dysfunctional D.C. politics to Minnesota," state GOP chair Alex Plechash said in a statement. “Klobuchar didn’t just stand by during the Walz years — she cheered them on."

Minnesota’s senior U.S. senator would be a formidable opponent for Republicans hoping to win the governor’s office for the first time in 20 years.

She wouldn’t say this summer whether she would consider running if Walz opted not to, instead noting that she hoped Walz would seek re-election.

Klobuchar won re-election to her post handily in 2024, defeating former NBA player Royce White by more than 15 percentage points.

After more than 30 years in politics, Klobuchar has strong statewide name recognition and would be a fundraising powerhouse, though she could not transfer funds from her Senate war chest to a campaign for governor.

A person familiar with his thinking said that Ellison was now considering a run for governor, though he loves serving in his current role.

In a statement, Ellison called Walz a “remarkable leader,” noting accomplishments during Walz’s tenure from providing universal school meals to paid family leave.

“Tim’s legacy is one of putting people first and delivering for Minnesotans in every corner of our state,” Ellison said, “and that’s a legacy to be damn proud of.”

With Walz in the race, Republicans were focusing their campaigns on scrutiny of the governor’s management of the state. But with an open field, Democrats are likely to have an easier time making the 2026 election a referendum on President Donald Trump.

After leading or joining dozens of lawsuits against some of the Trump administration’s most unpopular policies, Ellison can say he’s been taking on Republicans all year. But some Republicans have tried to tie him to the fraud scandal, including Ron Schutz, the Republican candidate in the attorney general’s race.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon’s name was also floated this summer as a possible candidate for governor, and his team didn’t rule out a run this spring before Walz announced his bid. But when Simon launched his re-election bid last month, he said governor wasn’t his preferred job.

A person close to Simon’s campaign says he will not run for governor if Klobuchar decides to enter the race.

“I’m thrilled to be running for re-election, and this is the work I want to do,” he said in December.

Simon is seeking a fourth term as the state’s top elections official and has also gone toe-to-toe with the Trump administration, fighting federal demands for Minnesota voters’ personal data.

Before his 2014 election as secretary of state, Simon served 10 years in the Minnesota House.

But should Ellison, Simon or other leading DFLers facing re-election opt to run for governor, the party could see a massive reshuffling with just months to go before the DFL Party’s nominating conventions.

If Ellison doesn’t run for attorney general, state lawmakers including Rep. Emma Greenman and former House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, could be possible contenders.

Greenman is also seen as a potential candidate for Simon’s job if he doesn’t seek re-election. This summer, Ben Weisbuch, who leads the Minnesota DFL’s Jewish Community Outreach Organization, indicated he might run for Simon’s post if Simon weren’t running for re-election.