Klobuchar urged for Minnesota governor race as Walz drops out amid scandal

Democrats in Minnesota have long been urging Sen. Amy Klobuchar to join the blue-leaning state’s race for governor, following Monday’s blockbuster push to end Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s 2026 re-election bid amid the political fallout of a massive fraud scandal.

Klobuchar, who was re-elected to a fourth 6-year term in the US Senate in 2024, is receiving calls urging her to run for governor, sources in Minnesota told Fox News Digital.

And sources say FOX 9 He said Klobuchar is considering making a bid for governor in Minnesota but has not yet made a final decision.

A source familiar with Fox News confirmed that Walz met with Klobuchar on Sunday to discuss her decision to abandon her re-election bid.

FRAUD ELECTION FORCED WALZ TO ABANDON GOVERNOR’S RE-ELECTION BID

Klobuchar did not comment on her future political plans in a statement Monday. But commenting on the governor’s move to fight the fraud scandal full-time rather than seek another term in office, the senator said, “Walz made the difficult decision to focus on his job and the challenges facing our state rather than campaigning and running for re-election.” he said.

The senator won all four Senate elections by wide margins, including re-election by nearly 16 points in 2024.

But Klobuchar, currently in third place in Senate Democratic leadership, faces obstacles to moving higher in the chamber’s party leadership.

WILL MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL FORCE A RESIGNATION?

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) is currently the top Democrat in the upper chamber and is not expected to leave his post. But Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is retiring from Congress, leaving a vacancy in the leadership hierarchy to fill. But Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, is the expected heir apparent to the position.

Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar was twice elected district attorney in Hennepin County, Minnesota’s most populous county. He also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination.

The announcement by Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, comes amid harsh criticism over his handling of his state’s massive welfare fraud scandal.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Monday, January 5, 2026 in St. He announced that he is abandoning his 2026 re-election bid at a press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

“As I reflected on this moment with my family and team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I would not be able to contribute my best to a political campaign,” Walz said in a statement. he wrote. “Every minute I spend defending my own political interests is a minute I cannot spend defending the people of Minnesota against criminals who prey on our generosity and cynics who prey on our differences.”

“So I’ve decided to drop out of this race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the job ahead of me for the next year,” the governor said in his statement and in a statement before cameras a few hours later. he added. The governor did not take any questions but said he would return Tuesday to “take all your questions.”

Republican Lawmaker Announces Walz Act After Billions of Dollars Lost in Minnesota Fraud Scandal

Walz launched his bid for a third four-year term as Minnesota governor in September, but in recent weeks he has faced a barrage of political fire from President Donald Trump, Republicans and some Democrats over the large-scale theft in a state that has long prided itself on good governance.

More than 90 people, mostly from Minnesota’s large Somali community, have been charged in what has been described as the nation’s largest Covid-era scheme since 2022. It still tabulates how much money was stolen through money laundering operations involving fraudulent food and housing programs, daycares and Medicaid services. But the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and go as high as $9 billion, the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said.

Prosecutors said some of the dozens of people who pleaded guilty in the case used the money to buy luxury cars, real estate, jewelry and international vacations, with some of the funds sent abroad and potentially falling into the hands of Islamist terrorists.

“This is on my watch, I’m responsible for it, and more importantly, I’m the one who’s going to fix it,” Walz told reporters last month as he took responsibility for the scandal.

The governor moved to stop some of the suspected fraudulent payments and ordered an outside audit of the state’s Medicaid billing.

But Trump has repeatedly accused Walz of being “incompetent” and used a slur aimed at people with developmental disabilities to describe the governor during Thanksgiving.

The scandal, which has received widespread attention across the country over the past two months, went viral in the past two weeks after the release of a video of 23-year-old YouTube content creator Nick Shirley alleging widespread fraud in Somali-run nurseries. Days later, the Trump administration froze federal child care funding to Minnesota.

“Walz’s failed leadership is emblematic of Minnesota Democrats’ agenda, and if Democrats choose to put Walz at the top of the ticket, they will be forced to defend years of mismanagement and misplaced priorities,” Republican Governors Association Communications Director Courtney Alexander said in a statement.

But Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), said in a statement: “No matter who decides to run or how much national Republicans want to spend, the DGA is fairly confident Minnesotans will elect another strong Democratic governor this November.”

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And Besehar praised Walz, a former DGA president, as “a true leader who delivers results that will make life better for Minnesota workers and their families for years to come.”

About a dozen Republicans are vying to be the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee, including Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, state Rep. Kristin Robbins, former state Sen. Scott Jensen and healthcare technology executive Kendall Qualls, a past congressional and gubernatorial candidate.