CBS News projects Klobuchar wins Minnesota governor’s race
The Democratic senator would succeed Gov. Tim Walz, who ended his bid for a third term in January, and would become the first woman to lead the state.
CBS News projects that Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has won the Minnesota governor’s race, defeating Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth. If the projection holds, Klobuchar will be the first woman to serve as the state’s governor.
She will succeed Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat and former vice presidential candidate. Walz announced in January that he would not seek an unprecedented third term, and Klobuchar entered the race after that. CBS News noted that Walz has been accused of fraud involving state programs, and that his office said he was working to counter it.
Klobuchar was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 and has won each of her Senate races by double digits. CBS News reported that the gap between her and her opponents shrank over time, from 35 points in 2012 to 24 points in 2018 and then 16 points in 2024. In 2020 she made a short run for the presidency that ended the day before Super Tuesday.
Klobuchar has said her priority is bringing down costs for Minnesotans, including health care, child care and housing. She picked Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer as her running mate for lieutenant governor.
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