Klobuchar elected Minnesota governor, Flanagan to U.S. Senate

Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar was elected Minnesota governor on Tuesday, defeating Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth in a race shaped by a widespread fraud scandal in state government.

Klobuchar will replace outgoing Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, who ended his bid for a third term after the long-simmering fraud investigation exploded into a national story. She will be the first woman to serve as Minnesota governor.

Klobuchar, who has been in the U.S. Senate for 20 years, said in her victory speech that she is focused on being a “transformative governor.”

“I am not interested in moving Minnesota to the left or the right, I want to move us forward,” she said.

Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., reacts at an election night event, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

She pledged to audit state government and invest in new technology to detect and deter fraud.

“We are going to speed up government, rebuild trust and work for you,” Klobuchar said. “Spoiler alert: you may not like every single thing I do.”

Klobuchar also said she was “not going to be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump. And I will do my job without fear or favor. I will govern for Minnesotans and nobody else.”

Aside from tackling fraud, Klobuchar focused on addressing rising costs. She called for reducing barriers to homebuilding, improving school test scores and reducing screen time in schools.

Klobuchar had won four statewide elections by double-digit margins before her gubernatorial victory. She ran for president in 2020 before stepping aside to endorse Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.

In Cook County, Klobuchar received 69% of the vote, compared to 28% for Demuth, according to Minnesota Secretary of State data.

Democrat Peggy Flanagan wins election to U.S. Senate from Minnesota

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at a campaign rally at Lincoln Park Middle School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Duluth, Minn. (AP Photo/Erica Dischino)

Peggy Flanagan will become the first Native American female U.S. senator following her win over Republican former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.

Flanagan, an ally of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and current Minnesota lieutenant governor, told her supporters, “It is time for new voices to shake up our party and take back our nation.”

She said, “The powerful better listen” following broad Democratic wins.

“We took on our own party, and we are the ones who are going to shake up the status quo,” she said. “We’re going to change the hell out of the system and finally make it work for us.”

In Cook County, Flanagan recieved 69% of the vote, compared to 28% for Tafoya.

Associated Press November 4, 2026