Klobuchar pitches moderation in governor's race, rebuffs redistricting push for Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS - U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar declined Friday to embrace Gov. Tim Walz’s suggestion that Minnesota could try to redraw its congressional districts to create an advantage for Democrats if their party wins full control of state government in November.

It’s the latest sign that Klobuchar intends to chart a more moderate course than Walz if elected governor. In an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Klobuchar said it isn’t clear if a move to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries before the 2030 census would even be legal.

Democrats and Republicans have been jockeying for an advantage in the nation’s gerrymandering battle that President Donald Trump started to boost his party’s chances of retaining control of Congress. There’s a growing sense that Democrats are falling behind in the redistricting war. On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down a congressional map drawn by Democrats.

In the early months of her campaign, Klobuchar has steered away from ideological fights and laid out an agenda focused on practical goals, from stopping fraud in state-run programs to making Minnesota a friendlier place for businesses. She has indicated that she would continue her track record of working across the aisle even if Democrats go on to win the governor’s race and both legislative chambers for the second time in four years.

“My focus right now is to earn the trust of the people of Minnesota to get this job and to do it right,” Klobuchar said.

Her comments about redistricting came after Walz shared an article on social media about the mid-decade race to redraw congressional boundaries and said: “Minnesota is going to have a trifecta next year … just saying.”

A spokesman for Walz said he was “pointing out that Democratic states have the ability to fight fire with fire if Republican states continue to break norms.”

Republicans quickly criticized Walz’s post. “If Minnesota Democrats win another trifecta, their extremism in the name of ‘fighting Trump’ will be boundless,” said Rep. Harry Niska, the GOP floor leader in the Minnesota House.

Klobuchar expressed frustration when asked about Walz’s post, saying “I don’t even know why he would assume” that Minnesota Democrats are going to pull off a sweep in this year’s elections. While she noted she’s supported Democratic redistricting in Virginia and California, Klobuchar said Minnesota could face legal and procedural hurdles if it pursued a similar effort.

Redistricting experts have said Minnesota would have to form a committee to redraw its maps, and that any plan would have to clear both chambers in the Legislature. Further, the state’s Constitution refers to redistricting as a process that is supposed to take place after the once-every-decade census. Minnesota already redrew its maps after the 2020 count.

Minnesota’s eight House districts are now split evenly, with Democrats holding four Twin Cities-area districts and Republicans holding four districts mostly covering greater Minnesota.

Beyond redistricting, Klobuchar has been framing her campaign around a plan to govern closer to the political middle.

She’s put distance between herself and Walz, saying she would have acted more quickly to stop fraud in the state’s social services programs and made some different spending decisions when the state had a $17.5 billion budget surplus.

The senator told the Star Tribune on Friday that she is open to revisiting programs that were created by DFLers in 2023 to evaluate how they’re functioning and whether they need fine-tuning.

In a separate appearance on Minnesota Public Radio on Friday, Klobuchar also indicated she’s willing to break with Democrats at the State Capitol on some policies related to taxes.

Asked about a DFL proposal to create a state wealth tax, she said: “I don’t think this is a time to be looking at increasing taxes, nor do I think we should be at a place where we are making major reductions.”

Speaking to the Star Tribune, Klobuchar appeared committed to working with the state’s business community as governor. Some business groups felt shut out of budget discussions when Democrats held full control of the Legislature in 2023 and 2024.

“I’m going to be working with them hand in hand,” Klobuchar said.

At the same time, Klobuchar is not retreating from DFL priorities on issues such as gun control. She said she would support a bill banning assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines that recently passed the Minnesota Senate. The measure is not expected to make it through this year amid GOP opposition in the tied House.

“I have long supported gun safety legislation,” Klobuchar said, adding that she also would back measures to strengthen school security.

Ahead of this month’s state DFL convention, where she will seek her party’s endorsement, Klobuchar is also emphasizing that she is ready to be a counterweight to President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress.

“I have always been a fighter on behalf of the people I represent,” Klobuchar said. “I see my job as standing up for our state and changing the status quo when it comes to our government.”

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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 4:37 PM.