Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to retire amid a fraud scandal opens up an intriguing opportunity for the state’s senior senator, Amy Klobuchar.
The Minnesota Democrat is seriously considering running for governor but has not made a decision, according to a person close to her who said Klobuchar is being encouraged to pursue the position. She ran for president and has no obvious designs on ascending further in Senate leadership — and the governor job would give her a prominent perch to test her style of Midwestern pragmatism.
What’s more, Democrats would like her to run to give the top of the ticket some oomph. The Senate field to replace Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., remains unchanged: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig are both sticking to their Senate bids. And Klobuchar’s name is the only one currently being floated in the governor race.