Jan 22, 2026 - Politics & Policy

Amy Klobuchar makes Minnesota governor's race move

Hans Nichols

Sen. Amy Klobuchar speaks during a Capitol Hill news conference on Dec. 11, 2025. Photo: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Add Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to the list of senators looking to become governors back home — and then name their own successors.

Why it matters: Klobuchar is poised to join Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) as a senator running for governor.

Driving the news: Klobuchar filed fundraising paperwork Thursday for a Minnesota gubernatorial run.

The popular four-term senator and former presidential candidate would be a formidable front-runner in the race to succeed Gov. Tim Walz, Axios' Torey Van Oot reports.

Between the lines: A source close to the senator called Thursday's creation of a "Minnesotans for Klobuchar" committee with state campaign finance regulators a "preliminary step necessary for any candidate considering a run."

The source said the senator will announce her plans "in the coming days."

The bottom line: If they were to win their gubernatorial races, Blackburn, Bennet, and Klobuchar would get to appoint their Senate replacements in early 2027.

Tuberville is up for reelection to the Senate in November.

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Amy Klobuchar makes Minnesota governor's race move

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