CBS News projects Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the heavy favorite, will win the Democratic primary in Minnesota’s gubernatorial race and will face the Republican challenger in November.
With 16% of the votes tallied, Klobuchar has earned 89% of the vote. Six other Democratic candidates were on the ballot.
The Minnesota DFL endorsed Klobuchar and her running mate, former Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer, in May. She rode an early lead in both polling and fundraising to the primary win.
“In Minnesota, trust is not given; It’s earned,” Klobuchar said on Tuesday night after the polls closed. “That trust comes with an expectation, which is results. Results that you can see and feel in your life. Results in making life more affordable, making our government work and getting rid of the fraud.”
In an effort to distinguish herself from outgoing Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, Klobuchar has made addressing fraud in the state a central focus of her campaign. Walz bowed out of a run for a third term in January amid repeated attacks from Republicans at the state and federal level over Minnesota’s fraud crisis.
“You expect leaders to deliver results, not excuses, and you are rightfully tired of this partisan theater and the punchlines. I will deliver those results. I’ve done it as senator and I will do it as your governor.”
Klobuchar has a formidable record in statewide races, having won each of her four Senate elections by double-digit margins. Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor since Tim Pawlenty in 2006.
The winner of the Republican primary has not yet been determined.
If Klobuchar wins the general election, she will need to resign her Senate seat, which would then be temporarily filled by an appointee of the governor, with a special election to follow.
See full results for the Minnesota primary on WCCO’s results page.