In the final days leading up to the Democratic primary for Minnesota governor, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is looking to distinguish herself from outgoing Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN).
In January, Klobuchar announced her campaign after Walz revealed he wouldn’t be running for a third term. At the time, he was undergoing federal scrutiny over the state government’s handling of massive fraud within social service and welfare programs.
Since then, Klobuchar has sought to capitalize on the fraud issue.
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Her campaign website features a concerted anti-fraud effort as one of her top priorities if she becomes governor. Her plan to root out fraud involves conducting a “top-to-bottom” audit of state agencies and modernizing computer systems, among many other measures.
“I obviously am going to do things differently than Gov. Walz,” Klobuchar said in May. “We have different backgrounds. We’re going to have some different focuses.”
“I would have looked at, where are the programs where we’re starting to see ballooning budgets, which is something that should be done all the time,” she added. “When can we do these surprise audits and check on things immediately? Those are changes that I would make.”
In February, Walz proposed a comprehensive anti-fraud package aimed at preventing, detecting, and prosecuting the abuse of taxpayer funds in state-run programs. However, the perception is that he only acted on the fraud issue as a result of the widespread backlash. Plus, it does little for him politically as he finishes his last year in office.
Meanwhile, Klobuchar hopes to get off to a good start regarding fraud on her first day in office.
The senator, who’s the clear frontrunner in the race, will likely secure the Democratic Party’s nomination on Aug. 11 and advance to the general election on Nov. 3. She is endorsed by Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
Walz has chosen not to endorse any Democrat to succeed him, letting voters and the party process decide the victor instead. The governor spoke with Klobuchar the day before he announced the end to his reelection bid. During that discussion, Klobuchar expressed interest in running for his position after Walz informed her of his decision.
While trying to distance herself from the incumbent, Klobuchar faces political attacks from Republicans claiming she’s not much different from Walz. Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who’s running in the Republican primary, argued those supporting Klobuchar would be voting for a third term of Walz.
“When you look at her voting record and who she supported, she is not good for Minnesota going forward,” Demuth said. “And so that is what is going to give us that opportunity to defeat her in November.”
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The problem is the eventual Republican nominee will face an uphill battle in trying to beat Klobuchar, who is already leading polling for the general election.
Demuth is facing two other formidable GOP contenders, former MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and millionaire businessman Kendall Qualls. All three primary candidates trail behind the Minnesota Democrat in the latest polls. Lindell is endorsed by President Donald Trump, and Qualls is backed by Minnesota’s Republican Party.
It remains to be seen if Klobuchar, should she be elected, can break away from Walz’s shadow and avoid the political label used by Qualls: “Tim Walz 2.0.”
Apart from their handling of fraud, the Minnesota GOP tried tying Klobuchar to Walz on their complicity in leaving Minnesota “vulnerable” to coordinated cyberattacks that recently targeted over 30 municipal water systems in the state.
“Tim Walz and Amy Klobuchar have spent years claiming credit for government spending while allowing Minnesota’s public systems to decay and remain vulnerable,” Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Alex Plechash said in a statement late last month. “Schools, cities, counties and water systems have all been breached under their watch.”
Early suspicions point toward Iran as responsible for the cyberattacks, but Trump blamed Minnesota for being “grossly incompetent” by failing to prevent the hacking of its water systems.
“I would blame it on Minnesota and the governor, the corrupt governor of Minnesota,” he said of Walz. “They like to say, ‘Oh, it’s Iran.’ Iran should be so lucky. Iran’s got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota.”
Klobuchar addressed the cyberattacks in her official capacity as a senator, emphasizing the need for funding of municipal water facilities and updated technology. As governor, she could potentially push for increased security of statewide infrastructure.