Amy Klobuchar meets a Democratic Party that's in no mood for caution

MINNEAPOLIS - In an increasingly restless Democratic Party, Amy Klobuchar is encountering pockets of resistance on her march to become the nominee for governor.

As activists riled by President Donald Trump's second term rally behind candidates they view as fighters, some younger and more progressive Democrats have questioned whether the senator's careful political style can meet the moment.

"She's too middle-of-the-road, too much trying to appease both sides," said 31-year-old Modi Hammarstedt, an alternate delegate from Minneapolis. "That's not what we need when we're appeasing a side that lies, makes stuff up, engages in illegal activity."

Hammarstedt was among a crowd of DFL activists from the Fifth District who met at St. Louis Park High School earlier this month. The gathering in deep-blue Hennepin County offered a glimpse of the resistance Klobuchar could face from progressives as she seeks the DFL Party's endorsement at this weekend's state convention in Rochester.

Galvanized by resistance to Trump's presidency and Operation Metro Surge, many Democrats are channeling their fury into support for candidates who promise to aggressively confront the administration. While that tension has largely played out in the U.S. Senate primary between Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and congresswoman Angie Craig, it's also creating complications for Klobuchar's campaign for governor ahead of the state convention.

A bloc of DFL delegates and alternates are uncommitted in the governor's race. Some 6,700 activists voted "uncommitted" in the DFL's February straw poll for governor, though Klobuchar still easily won with more than 22,000 votes.

"I feel like she's being shoved at us as the only possible choice, and I don't believe she's a choice I personally would make if I had other choices," said Maureen Dunaway, who is part of an uncommitted contingent from Senate District 66.

To be sure, Klobuchar remains the overwhelming favorite to win the DFL nomination with her dominant electoral record and name recognition. For skeptical delegates, the question is more about whether they can shape her candidacy than stop it.

But the discontent among some activists raises a broader question for Democrats: Can Klobuchar's brand of moderate politics still resonate in a party that increasingly favors confrontation?

"There's no question that Sen. Klobuchar has a bit of a different style," said Todd Rapp, a former DFL political operative. "I would absolutely say she's a fighter, but there's no question that she leverages power in a different way, and maybe a little quieter."

The party's shifting mood has surfaced in Democratic races across the country. In Maine, it helped propel first-time candidate Graham Platner ahead of Gov. Janet Mills in a U.S. Senate primary. Mills dropped out of the race last month.

It also has given Flanagan an early advantage over Craig, who is a moderate backed by the Democratic establishment.

The Democratic frustration with politics-as-usual was apparent at the Fifth District convention in St. Louis Park. Michelle Thomas-Crane, a 40-year-old alternate delegate from north Minneapolis, said Klobuchar's "centrist, conservative-leaning" approach is out of step with today's party.

"That might appeal to some in the older generations, but I think it is going to be a hard sell for the younger generations," Thomas-Crane said.

So far, Klobuchar has shown little interest in recalibrating for the party's left wing. Her posture is supported by a comforting reality: she faces no prominent primary challengers, giving her a clear runway to the Democratic nomination.

The dynamic has been noticed by DFL activists, some of whom lamented that Klobuchar's largely unchallenged candidacy feels like a coronation. Within hours of Gov. Tim Walz dropping his bid for re-election in early January, Klobuchar's allies publicly signaled she was considering a run.

Heading into the state convention, some delegates have questioned Klobuchar's engagement with party activists. While Klobuchar attended some state Senate district meetings, she was absent from several congressional district conventions. She did not attend the Second District or Fifth District conventions that were held on the same day even as other statewide candidates showed up to speak to delegates.

Delegates in the Second District voted not to play a nearly 10-minute video that was submitted by Klobuchar out of fairness to the other statewide candidates who were given only two minutes to speak in person.

Klobuchar's campaign said she had other commitments that day, including an event with families of National Guard members and visiting the Hmong village in St. Paul.

Dunaway said she wants to see Klobuchar engage more with Democrats in the metro, whether through town halls or inviting people to meet with her.

"There's been a lot of events that she has not gone to that have happened around the cities and she has not felt present to people who are living here and dealing with what was going on here, particularly during Metro Surge," she said.

For all the unease among some activists on the left, Klobuchar has remained the DFL's most popular statewide politician. Her careful, bipartisan approach has repeatedly proved successful with the broader electorate.

Klobuchar has consistently outperformed other Democrats and maintained a better approval rating in greater Minnesota and among independent voters.

"There's not been a candidate in ... probably three decades who's won by greater margins than she has," Rapp said. "I think she's proven she can energize the base pretty well."

Klobuchar's bipartisan credentials have been a selling point for Democrats like 19-year-old Julian Janisch, who attended the DFL convention in St. Louis Park but grew up in the more conservative Crookston area.

"Trying to find that middle ground, I tend to find, works a lot better," Janisch said.

The senator and her allies have been trumpeting her ability to work across the aisle. As he introduced Klobuchar at an April Senate district convention in Eden Prairie, state Sen. Steve Cwodzinski touted that she "was ranked number one for bipartisan bills."

"In the U.S. Senate, she has delivered for everybody in Minnesota," he said.

Klobuchar gave one of her first gubernatorial stump speeches at the Eden Prairie convention, during which she joked about how her day started with a text from Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. The two have worked together on legislation in Washington.

"I figure if I can work with Ted Cruz, I can work with the Republicans [in Minnesota]," Klobuchar said to loud applause.

But the senator is also well aware of the anger coursing through her party. In an interview earlier this month, she vowed to be a counterweight to Trump and the Republicans in Congress.

"Our base is energized. They do not want to have a rubber stamp of President Donald Trump in Congress or in the governor's office," she said. "I see my job as standing up for our state and changing the status quo when it comes to our government."

Klobuchar also pointed to her efforts in the U.S. Senate to break up monopolies like Ticketmaster and lower prescription drug prices despite opposition from the pharmaceutical industry.

"I have always been a fighter on behalf of the people I represent," she said.

Klobuchar is widely expected to win the DFL endorsement at the state convention on Friday, something her skeptics even reluctantly accept.

In St. Louis Park, 41-year-old Annie Perkins said she was "not a huge fan" of Klobuchar. But Perkins, an alternate delegate who wore a button with the word "ICE" crossed out, said she was still hopeful Klobuchar would champion DFL priorities such as increased funding for public schools.

"I hope that we can push her to stand up for things," Perkins said.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 9:19 AM.