Klobuchar notches win in Minnesota governor’s race

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) was projected to defeat state House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R) in Minnesota’s governor’s race , according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), becoming the first woman elected to lead the state.

The four-term Democratic senator will succeed outgoing Gov. Tim Walz (D), who dropped his bid for a third term in January as fraud scandals involving state social service programs plagued his administration and fueled attacks from President Trump and other Republicans.

The Democrat notched just over 56 percent of the vote, with under 70 percent of the vote tallied early Wednesday by DDHQ.

The controversies became a significant issue on the campaign trail, with both candidates promising greater oversight.

Klobuchar touted her background as a prosecutor and said she would order a full audit of the state government, while Demuth pledged to clean house and replace all state agency commissioners. The GOP candidate also sought to cast blame on Democratic leaders, accusing them of allowing a culture of fraud and waste to fester.

The candidates also clashed over the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration in the North Star State, where federal officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Klobuchar condemned the killings and called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave the state.

Demuth called the deaths tragic and urged full investigations but defended the broader ICE operation.

Klobuchar entered the final days of the race as the clear favorite. The Democrat has represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate since 2007, winning all four of her elections by double digits.

Cook Political Report had rated the race as “solid Democrat,” and DDHQ gave Klobuchar a 91 percent chance of winning the race heading into Election Day.

She easily won the Democratic nomination, while Demuth clinched the GOP nod after defeating Trump-backed MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, a prominent proponent of false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Lindell also unsuccessfully asked for a recount after the loss in August.