Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has officially entered the gubernatorial race, signaling her ambition to lead a state grappling with the impact of intensified ICE operations and the divisive immigration policies championed by Donald Trump.

The political landscape in Minnesota was recently upended when Governor Tim Walz announced he would not pursue a third term, a decision that took many by surprise earlier this month.

Governor Walz has been under intense scrutiny due to ongoing investigations by federal and congressional bodies. These probes are looking into his administration’s handling of alleged fraud in state social programs, which reportedly resulted in the loss of billions of dollars.

Additionally, both Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are being investigated by the Justice Department over accusations of hindering immigration law enforcement.

The Democratic primary winner for Minnesota’s governorship will likely need to address their stance on countering the president’s aggressive immigration policies, which have sparked significant protests and incidents, including the tragic death of Renee Good at the hands of an ICE agent.

Good’s death on January 7, after she inadvertently drove into an ICE operation, has fueled widespread demonstrations against ICE throughout the state.

‘This tragedy is the result of the administration sending federal agents onto our streets against the wishes of local law enforcement,’ Klobuchar said immediately after the shooting. Within days, Klobuchar was advocating for protestors who she claimed were being treated unfairly by law enforcement.

‘It is completely unacceptable that law-abiding Minnesotans are being thrown to the ground, detained, pepper-sprayed, and threatened. This endangers public safety and is fundamentally un-American,’ the Democrat wrote on January 16. 

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar has filed paperwork needed to run for governor in Minnesota. She previously ran for president in 2020 

Protests have erupted in the state after ICE shot and killed Renee Good after she drove into an ongoing federal operation. Democratic leaders in the state have demanded Trump withdraw ICE and federal agents

Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino has been overseeing immigration operations in the state since protests there began this month. Klobuchar has ridiculed ICE for having a heavy-handed approach to immigration enforcement

Klobuchar, who ran for president in 2020, was tarred as a tyrannical boss who ‘ran a workplace controlled by fear, anger, and shame,’ the Democrat’s former staffers told Buzzfeed News in 2019.

Former aides also relayed now-notorious anecdote in which Klobuchar allegedly ate a salad with a comb after a staffer forgot her fork, then told the aide to clean it. 

‘I can be tough,’ she admitted in 2019 after reports alleging that she sent demeaning emails to subordinates, threw office supplies and requested aides do her chores, adding, ‘I can push people.’ 

Currently, close to 3,000 federal immigration agents are deployed in Minnesota to advance Trump’s deportation goals. 

Already, Klobuchar is signaling a staunch opposition to ICE. 

‘Today the House is voting on the ICE funding bill. It doesn’t put meaningful constraints on ICE and I cannot support it,’ Klobuchar wrote on Thursday. 

‘ICE is making our communities less safe,’ she added. ‘We need real constraints on what they are doing in Minnesota & across the country.’

There are also multiple federal probes into social service fraud in the state, particularly around daycares and Medicaid services. 

Klobuchar has remained relatively quiet about the fraud allegations. 

The senator is the overwhelming favorite to become the Democratic nominee after the state’s Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Tuesday he’s running for re-election.

Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies check the ID of Somali American citizen Omar Iye after seeing him making a delivery on a residential street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks to reporters after he announced that he would not seek reelection, at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 5, 2026

If she follows through with a campaign, she will face the winner of the Republican primary, which includes MyPillow Founder Mike Lindell and Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth. 

Klobuchar is just the latest senator to express interest in returning home to the state capitol. 

Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama have also decided to run for governor.