Tim Walz Possible Replacement Has Been Revealed

A prominent national Democrat with deep Minnesota roots is reportedly positioning herself as a potential successor to embattled Gov. Tim Walz, as the state’s political landscape continues to shift amid scandal and federal investigations.

According to sources who spoke with Axios, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is actively weighing a run for Minnesota governor following Walz’s abrupt decision to abandon his reelection bid.

“The four-term senator — one of the state’s highest-profile and most popular Democrats — would be an instant frontrunner in the race to succeed” Walz, the outlet reported. “The buzz about a Klobuchar bid comes on the heels of Walz’s Monday announcement that he is scrapping plans to run for an unprecedented third consecutive term.”

Speculation intensified after reports surfaced that Klobuchar and Walz met privately over the weekend, combined with the recent registration of campaign-style domain names such as Klobucharforgovernor.com.

One source familiar with Klobuchar’s thinking said no final decision has been made, while another suggested the senator is likely to enter the race. Multiple Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party operatives and Minnesota political insiders told Axios on Monday they expect Klobuchar to run, with one source close to the senator saying she is “seriously considering” a bid.

“Klobuchar, a former Hennepin County Attorney, has ascended the ranks of Democratic leadership since her election to the Senate in 2006,” Axios noted. “Her 2020 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination further raised her national profile and fundraising network.”

That national exposure has translated into consistent electoral success at home. Klobuchar has won all four of her U.S. Senate races by double-digit margins and, in the 2024 election, outperformed the Democratic presidential nominee in Minnesota by five percentage points, according to Axios.

The outlet added that a Klobuchar gubernatorial run could quickly reshape the race, discouraging Democratic challengers while simultaneously drawing stronger Republican opposition.

Walz announced Monday that he would exit the governor’s race as criticism mounted over a growing scandal involving multiple cases of daycare and Medicaid fraud, much of it centered on Minnesota’s Somali community. The revelations have fueled public outrage and prompted expanded federal scrutiny under President Donald Trump’s second administration.

The Trump administration has launched investigations into the alleged fraud, while federal agencies move to pursue accountability nationwide. Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler warned Friday that what investigators have uncovered so far is only the beginning.

“You’re right,” Loeffler said on Fox News Channel’s Hannity, guest-hosted by Jason Chaffetz, Breitbart reported. “It’s a ton of money and it’s just the tip of the iceberg happening in Minnesota.”

Loeffler said investigators initially believed the fraud totaled roughly $1 billion but have since determined the real figure is substantially higher.

She revealed that her team uncovered $3 million in fraud within just three days of launching a review of SBA loans over Thanksgiving weekend, identifying approximately 7,900 fraudulent loans tied to about 6,900 individuals.

Loeffler said some individuals obtained multiple loans and have now been permanently barred from doing business with the agency.

“They will not get a disaster loan,” she said. “They cannot get SBA funding.”

Loeffler added that the SBA is turning its findings over to federal law enforcement.

“We’re going to see people in handcuffs,” she said. “We’re going to see people in jail.”

As the fallout continues, Republican challenger John Nagel has accused Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., of being closely connected to the $1 billion Feeding Our Future fraud scandal, which is based in her Minneapolis congressional district. Nagel, who is running against Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, argues that legislation introduced by Omar helped create the conditions that allowed the fraud to flourish.

“Where did this actually start?” Nagel said, Townhall reported. “She passed legislation. Her legislation actually started it, and it allowed people to get into Feeding Our Future.”

Nagel pointed to the geographic concentration of the fraud as evidence that Minnesota’s political leadership failed to protect taxpayers — a charge that is now reshaping the state’s political future as Democrats scramble to contain the damage.