Klobuchar takes first steps towards Minnesota governor bid in race to replace embattled Walz
Longtime Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Thursday made her first move ahead of likely launching a 2026 race for governor in her home state of Minnesota.The senator's first steps came...
By Fox News · Fox News
Longtime Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Thursday made her first move ahead of likely launching a 2026 race for governor in her home state of Minnesota. The senator's first steps came a couple of weeks after the stunning announcement by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to end his re-election bid amid political fallout from the blue-leaning state's massive fraud scandal. Klobuchar, who less than 15 months ago was handily re-elected to a fourth six-year term in the U.S. Senate, filed preliminary paperwork with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board. "This is a preliminary step necessary for any candidate considering a run. The senator will make an announcement of her plans in the coming days," a source close to Klobuchar told Fox News Digital. WALZ ON GOP CALLS FOR HIM TO RESIGN OVER FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘OVER MY DEAD BODY’ Since Walz's announcement earlier this month that he was scrapping his bid for an unprecedented third term as Minnesota governor , Klobuchar had been receiving calls urging her to run, Democratic sources confirmed. And sources also confirmed that the senator met with Walz, who was the Democratic Party's 2024 vice presidential nominee, on the eve of his announcement to discuss his decision to drop his re-election effort. Klobuchar didn't weigh in on her future political plans in the hours after Walz' blockbuster news. But she said the governor "made the difficult decision to focus on his job and the challenges facing our state rather than campaigning and running for re-election." A day later, Klobuchar emphasized to CNN, "I love my job, I love my state, and I’m seriously considering it." The senator has won all four of her Senate elections by healthy margins, including a nearly 16-point re-election in 2024. But Klobuchar, who is currently number three in Senate Democratic leadership , faces hurdles to rise higher in party leadership in the chamber. FRAUD FALLOUT FORCES WALZ TO ABANDON GUBERNATORIAL RE-ELECTION BID Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York…