Democrat · Minnesota governor · 2026
Amy Klobuchar
Klobuchar’s father wrote for the newspaper; her mother taught second grade.
Biography
Amy Klobuchar’s grandfather worked in Minnesota’s iron mines and saved money in a coffee can to help send her father to college.1 Her father became a newspaperman covering the Vikings, while her mother taught second grade until age 70.1
Klobuchar graduated from Yale and the University of Chicago Law School and worked in private practice before entering elected office.21 Her Yale senior essay about the building of Minnesota’s Metrodome became a book, Uncovering the Dome.2 When her daughter, Abigail, was born unable to swallow, Klobuchar was discharged after 24 hours while the baby remained in intensive care.1 She subsequently advocated for a law guaranteeing 48 hour hospital stays for new mothers and babies, before she had held political office.1
She led the Hennepin County Attorney’s office for eight years before serving in the United States Senate.2 There, she worked with Republican John Thune on the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, which became law that June.3 The law strengthened oversight of ocean carriers, including rules governing shipping charges and refusals to provide cargo space.4
Against Republican Lisa Demuth, Klobuchar proposes expanding housing construction, child care access, apprenticeships and workforce training.56 She supports existing paid leave benefits; Demuth is open to reducing the maximum.7
Record and controversies
Burrell prosecution and later review
Klobuchar led the prosecutor’s office during Myon Burrell’s first murder trial; that conviction was reversed in 2005, and his second conviction came in 2008 after she had left the office.89 A 2020 independent panel criticized investigative failures and recommended release; Klobuchar had also called for an independent review.89 The pardons board commuted his sentence in December 2020 without granting a pardon; that was not an exoneration.10 July 2026 reporting said his murder case had not been prioritized by the state review unit because he had already been released.11
Historical staff treatment reports
In 2019, reporting based on unnamed former aides described alleged angry treatment and demeaning personal errands; some commentators also questioned whether sexism shaped the coverage.12 Asked about high staff turnover, Klobuchar pointed to her staff’s legislative work and said she could and would do better.13 These are historical reporting and workplace accounts, rather than a court judgment.12
Earmark claim context
A September fact check found Klobuchar’s Generation Hope earmark was never paid and the group had not been criminally charged.14