U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) was projected to win the Minnesota gubernatorial race on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, according to Decision Desk HQ and CBS News. Klobuchar is expected to defeat Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth to become the first woman elected governor in the state's history. Klobuchar, a four-term senator who first took office in 2007, will succeed outgoing Gov. Tim Walz (D).
The transition follows Walz's January 2026 announcement that he would not seek a third term. His administration faced criticism from Republicans and President Trump regarding fraud scandals in state social service programs. These included a $90 million healthcare fraud case that led to charges against 15 individuals. Klobuchar entered the race following Walz's withdrawal and selected Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer as her running mate.
With just under 70 percent of the vote tallied early Wednesday, Klobuchar held approximately 56 percent of the vote. During the campaign, Klobuchar promised a full audit of the state government on her first day in office to address oversight concerns. Demuth, who defeated Trump-backed MyPillow founder Mike Lindell in the Republican primary, had pledged to replace all state agency commissioners and criticized Democratic leadership for what she described as a culture of waste and fraud.
Small-business owners and developers may notice a concrete change in state operations through Klobuchar's proposed "money-back guarantee" for tardy permit decisions, a policy intended to speed up regulatory timelines. Additionally, the election outcome influences the state’s relationship with federal agencies; while Klobuchar condemned federal immigration operations that resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, she has expressed a willingness to work with the Trump administration on common ground, such as energy grants, while using the state attorney general to challenge federal policies that she believes adversely affect Minnesotans.
The victory also creates a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. Peggy Flanagan was projected to win the Senate seat left open by Tina Smith, but the process for filling Klobuchar's seat was not detailed in the reports. Klobuchar’s move to the governor’s mansion concludes a 20-year career in the Senate and marks a shift toward a "results, not excuses" approach she campaigned on to distance herself from the previous administration’s controversies. The official start date for Klobuchar's term as the 42nd governor of Minnesota is scheduled for January 2027.