Klobuchar’s Minnesota Governor Victory Keeps State Blue
WHO:
CBS News - Democrat Zack Filipovich won Minnesota state auditor, defeating Republican Dr. Scott Jensen.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Matt Little won Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District seat after Rep. Angie Craig chose not to seek reelection.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Rep. Kelly Morrison won reelection in the 3rd Congressional District; Democrat Betty McCollum won reelection in the 4th District with 66% of the vote; Rep. Ilhan Omar won reelection in the 5th District.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Republican Rep. Michelle Fischbach won reelection in the 7th Congressional District, leading Erik Osberg 62% to 37.9% with about 37% of votes reported.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Cedrick Frazier declared victory in the Hennepin County attorney race after his opponent conceded; Mary Moriarty had chosen not to seek reelection.
CBS News Politics - Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar defeated Republican Lisa Demuth, Minnesota’s state House speaker.
NBC News - Klobuchar, 66, won the governor’s race and will be Minnesota’s first woman governor.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Klobuchar won Minnesota’s governor’s race; Gov. Tim Walz had announced he would not seek a third term.
NBC News - Walz was a two-term Democratic governor and the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2024. He later said he would “never run for an elected office again.”
NBC News - Klobuchar began her public career as Hennepin County’s top prosecutor and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, becoming Minnesota’s first woman elected to the chamber. She won Senate reelection in 2012, 2018 and 2024, and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
WHAT:
CBS News - Minnesota Democrats gained control of the state government, with at least 72 of 134 House seats and at least 34 of 67 Senate seats; 12 House races and nine Senate races remained outstanding.
CBS News - Minnesota had been under divided government since 2024, when Republicans flipped three House seats and the chamber tied 67-67, ending the DFL’s two-year trifecta.
CBS News - The tied House was only the second in state history, after 1979, and led to a power-sharing agreement that took effect in 2025.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Voters approved Zack Filipovich as state auditor and approved a constitutional school-funding amendment that raises the Permanent School Fund payout rate from 2.5% to 4.5% of its three-year rolling average.
CBS News Politics - CBS News projected Klobuchar’s victory; she will succeed Walz as governor.
NBC News - NBC News projected Klobuchar’s victory, extending Democrats’ hold on Minnesota’s governor’s office. Minnesota had not elected a Republican governor since 2006.
NBC News - Klobuchar pledged to oppose President Donald Trump’s administration, address public-money fraud, and “find common ground and fix things in our state.” She said, “I will make sure the people who steal taxpayer money go to jail and root out the fraud by changing the way state government works.”
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - The election also included statewide contests for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, attorney general, and state legislative seats, along with local races. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated Michele Tafoya for the open U.S. Senate seat.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Keith Ellison won reelection as attorney general, with nearly 55% to Republican Ron Schutz’s 45% when 94% of votes were counted. Steve Simon won a fourth term as secretary of state, with 54.9% to Tad Jude’s 41.7% when 96% were counted.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Voters approved a constitutional amendment increasing school funding from the Permanent School Fund without additional individual income or property taxes. The measure raises the payout rate from 2.5% to 4.5% of the fund’s three-year rolling average value, effective July 1, 2027.
IJR - Wisconsin Democrats claimed a narrow state Senate majority, while Republicans conceded Democrats were likely to win the Assembly; combined with the governor’s office, the gains would give Democrats a state-government trifecta.
WHERE:
NBC News - The governor’s race and Klobuchar’s victory were in Minnesota.
IJR - The reported legislative gains were in Wisconsin.
WHY:
NBC News - Walz abandoned his bid for a third term; Klobuchar entered the Democratic gubernatorial primary and won the nomination.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Minnesota had an open governor’s race because Walz would not seek a third term.
HOW:
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Election results began coming in after polls closed at 8 p.m.; all 134 Minnesota House seats and all 67 Minnesota Senate seats were on the ballot.
NBC News - Klobuchar won the Democratic nomination before defeating Demuth in the general election.
(UPDATED November 4, 2026 15:06 UTC)
Amy Klobuchar defeated Lisa Demuth to become Minnesota’s first woman governor, succeeding Tim Walz. Minnesota Democrats regained control of state government, winning majorities in both legislative chambers. Voters approved increased school funding, while Democrats also made legislative gains in Wisconsin.
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(UPDATED November 4, 2026 10:01 UTC)
Amy Klobuchar defeated Lisa Demuth to become Minnesota’s first woman governor. Her victory extends Democrats’ hold on the governor’s office, succeeding Tim Walz. Minnesota voters also approved increased school funding without raising individual income or property taxes.