U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar files paperwork to Run for Minnesota Governor

(Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

(Minnesota Reformer) – U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar filed paperwork for her campaign for Minnesota governor Thursday, weeks after Gov. Tim Walz ended his campaign for a third-term amid a widening scandal of fraud in state-run social service programs.

“This is a preliminary step necessary for any candidate considering a run,” according to a person close to the senator who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. “The senator will make an announcement of her plans in the coming days.”

Klobuchar, 65, is a proven vote-getter, having been reelected three times since first winning her seat in 2006. In 2012, she won all but two of the state’s 87 counties — a stunning victory in a purplish state where conservative rural counties far outnumber the more populated metropolitan area ones. Her margin of victory has narrowed over time, perhaps reflecting political changes in Minnesota and nationwide.

In recent weeks, Klobuchar has been an opponent of the recent federal immigration surge in Minnesota, calling for a federal investigation into the killing of Renee Good by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross and calling ICE’s arrest of children “disgraceful.”

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