Klobuchar, Demuth face off in first Minnesota governor’s debate

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) and state Rep. Lisa Demuth (R) went to bat over the budget, businesses, rising costs and the state’s fraud scandal Monday in the first debate in their race for governor. 

In an hourlong Monday morning program hosted by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Demuth argued for a break from the status quo under Gov. Tim Walz (D), while Klobuchar distanced herself from the outgoing governor. 

“We definitely need to look at what is impacting us here in the state of Minnesota because of failed Democrat leadership for far too long,” Demuth said. “Sen. Klobuchar has never once distanced herself from Gov. Walz, and every single policy that he has put in place that has increased the prices and made it harder to do business.”

“I could list a number of other ways I’m different than Tim Walz. I know you wish you were debating Tim Walz, but I’m the one here right now up here,” Klobuchar hit back. 

Walz, who was Democrats’ 2024 vice presidential nominee, ultimately ended his bid for a third term as governor earlier this year amid scrutiny over a sprawling fraud scandal in the state. 

Klobuchar said she “would have caught that fraud” and “done something about it” if she were in Walz’s position. And after Demuth asked why the senator didn’t “do more,” Klobuchar detailed her efforts to get more resources from the Justice Department as prosecutors probed the fraud.

A popular four-term senator and former prosecutor, Klobuchar easily won her primary and has the home-field advantage in Minnesota, where Democrats have held the governor’s mansion since 2010. Voters have rejected President Trump by single digits in each of his three elections. 

But Republicans have been hopeful that the fraud scandal could open the door for a flip in the North Star State.

Trump had endorsed Republican businessman Mike Lindell, the “MyPillow Guy” who a judge ruled defamed the election tech company Smartmatic with false statements about the 2020 election, for the governor’s mansion. But Demuth, the Speaker of the state House, emerged from a crowded field to take on Klobuchar in the open race.

Cook Political Report considers the seat solidly Democratic, after shifting the race from a “likely” blue rating at the start of this year. Decision Desk HQ rates the race likely Democratic, and polling averages show Klobuchar with an 8-point lead amid a slight tightening of the race. 

Both Klobuchar and Demuth said tax hikes would be off the table in their plans to balance the state’s budget and alleviate pressures on Minnesotans’ pocketbooks. 

The Democrat argued that the state needs “to do something about these tariff taxes,” including negotiating subnational agreements with Canadian provinces — while Demuth has previously refrained from denouncing tariffs.

Both candidates also argued for guardrails and responsible development on artificial intelligence as debates over the rapidly developing tech and data center build-outs shape the midterms. 

At one point in the debate, Demuth touted her vote in favor of the 2020 Alec Smith insulin bill in the state Legislature. But Klobuchar pointed out that Smith’s mother, Nicole Smith-Holt, has endorsed her. 

“She said that my opponent, and this is a mom of a kid that died, that my opponent did not help when it comes to capping insulin. So let’s not throw that name around without being honest about the real bill that they wanted to pass,” Klobuchar said. 

The gubernatorial rivals will face off again Wednesday.