Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar has won Minnesota’s governor election, defeating Republican Lisa Demuth and becoming the first woman elected governor in the state’s history.
The Associated Press called the race for Klobuchar. At the point of the AP tally reviewed, with 83.68 percent of precincts reporting, Klobuchar led with 1,303,553 votes to Demuth’s 1,022,274. The result keeps Minnesota’s governorship in Democratic hands in the first open governor’s race in the state since 2018, after Governor Tim Walz decided not to seek a third term.
Klobuchar, 66, won the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nomination with nearly 90 percent of the primary vote. Demuth, the Minnesota House speaker, won the Republican nomination after a primary field that included MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, who had President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
A historic first, whichever way it went
Minnesota voters were guaranteed a historic result: both Klobuchar and Demuth would have become the state’s first woman governor. Klobuchar’s win also extends a long Democratic run in the state, where a Republican has not won a gubernatorial election since 2006.
Klobuchar is a long-serving US senator, and her move to the governor’s office carries a consequence beyond Minnesota’s state government: she will have to step down from the Senate by the time she takes office as governor.
What happens to Klobuchar’s Senate seat
Under Minnesota law as described in local coverage of the result, the governor appoints a temporary replacement for a vacant Senate seat, and a special election must then be held the following November, in this case in November 2027.
That means Klobuchar’s victory creates a second contest to watch: who is appointed to hold her Senate seat in the interim, and who wins it outright in the 2027 special election. No appointee was named in the coverage reviewed for this article, and none is claimed here.
The vacancy also matters nationally. Klobuchar’s departure from the Senate comes just as Democrats are projected to take control of that chamber, so the appointment and the 2027 special election will both be watched for their effect on the Senate’s balance.
Why the race mattered nationally
Minnesota was one of the most closely watched governor’s races of the midterm night because it pitted a nationally known Democratic senator against the Republican speaker of the state House, in an open race with no incumbent on the ballot.
Klobuchar’s win fits the wider Democratic pattern on election night, in which the party flipped the House and, according to projections, the Senate as well. Minnesota, however, was a Democratic hold rather than a flip: the governorship was already in Democratic hands under Walz.
What is still unknown
The AP tally reviewed was not a final certified count, with about 16 percent of precincts still to report at that check. Final certified totals may therefore differ from the figures quoted here, though the AP call itself stands.
Still to come are the formal certification of the Minnesota result, Klobuchar’s resignation timing from the Senate, the appointment of her temporary successor, and the 2027 special election for the seat.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Minnesota governor race?
Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic senator, defeated Republican Lisa Demuth, according to the Associated Press call.
Why is the result historic?
Klobuchar is the first woman elected governor of Minnesota. Either candidate would have made history in that respect.
What happens to her Senate seat?
She must step down from the Senate by the time she takes office as governor. A temporary replacement is appointed, and a special election is due in November 2027.
Sources
- Associated Press, Minnesota governor election results (race called for Klobuchar) — https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/?ap_doc=ap%2Frg1%2FWyJhcC92Mi8yMDI2MTEwMy9sLzI0NzA0L01OL3MiLFsiMTI2NjI4IiwiMTU5MDI3Il1d
- Fox 9, “What happens to Amy Klobuchar’s US Senate seat once she is elected governor?” — https://fox9.com/news/what-happens-klobuchar-senate-seat-elected-governor
- St. Cloud Times, “Klobuchar wins race to become Minnesota’s first woman governor” — https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/03/election-results-in-minnesota-governors-race-with-klobuchar-demuth/92523658007/
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