DFL US Sen. Amy Klobuchar will be Minnesota’s next governor–the state’s very first female governor. But who’s going to fill her Senate seat for the rest of her term?
Klobuchar has already confirmed that she will be choosing the temporary appointee instead of current Gov. Tim Walz, saying she’ll “be very careful in that decision” and that she “will do right by the State of Minnesota for that person.”
Given her reputation as a major policy wonk who’s held the position for 19 years and become the most bipartisan senator in Congress, in addition to getting more bills passed in the US Senate than all but two of her colleagues, it’s anticipated that Klobuchar will choose a strong policymaker in her stead.
There’s a myriad of Democratic names being tossed around as strong candidates to take the seat, from past elected officials, current officeholders, and even those who didn’t win their elections. We’ll take a look at some of the strongest contenders so far, below.
How the appointment works
Minnesota law states that when a US Senate seat becomes vacant, the governor appoints a temporary senator until a special election can be held. Since the midterm elections just ended, this means the special election will have to wait until Nov. 2, 2027.
Klobuchar will be sworn into the governor’s office on Jan. 4, leaving about 11 months for someone to temporarily own the seat. Whoever is chosen will be the incumbent in the November election. Whoever wins the special election will then serve the rest of Klobuchar’s term, which ends in Jan. 2031.
Who doesn’t want the seat
Walz is the only potential candidate who has explicitly expressed he does not want to fill Klobuchar’s seat. In a press conference shortly after the election, Walz told the media he “would rather eat glass than do that.”
In another interview, the outgoing governor said he hopes to return to teaching. Walz was a social studies and geography teacher for 20 years at Mankato West High School, as well as a football coach.
Who could take the seat
These aren’t the only names floating around the internet to take the seat, but they’re some of the most well-known.
Angie Craig
DFL US Rep. Angie Craig for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District did not choose to run for another term, instead running to fill the state’s open US Senate seat. DFL US Sen. Tina Smith chose to retire after two terms to spend more time with family.
Craig lost the DFL primary to Peggy Flanagan, the current Lt. Gov. and Senate-elect after the midterm elections.
Though she lost the primary, Craig held her US House seat for seven years in the state’s most purple congressional district. She deemed herself a “moderate Democrat,” similar to Klobuchar.
Al Franken
Al Franken was a DFL US Senator for Minnesota for nine years, succeeded by Smith in 2018.
Franken was well-known and liked in the state before he resigned, which he did to avoid an internal investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. He has since stated that he regrets resigning.
Klobuchar did not publicly call for Franken’s resignation amid the turmoil, though she later did make a statement that his choice was “the right decision.”
Doug Chapin
Doug Chapin ran as the DFL candidate for Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, looking to flip the solid red seat and beat longtime incumbent Republican and US House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.
Chapin is new to political races, but not to politics itself. He’s a nationally recognized election policy and administration expert, and is an attorney in Hanover. Chapin also has experience in lobbying in Congress for military and overseas voting reform.
His extensive knowledge regarding the legal system and congressional policies could show Klobuchar he can handle the complexities of US Senate bill making.
Erin Maye Quade
DFL state Sen. Erin Maye Quade has spent three years in office and hit the ground running. In her short time in office, she’s helped author a multitude of bills, including the bill to ban AI nudification in Minnesota, a first of its kind.
The law, which was to begin Aug. 1, 2026, was ultimately blocked by court order, after Elon Musk sued Minnesota over the law. Maye Quade has been working with Attorney General Keith Ellison to continue to push the law forward.
Another policy wonk, Maye Quade could be the protege Klobuchar is looking for to take over her work in the Senate.
Ilhan Omar
DFL US Rep. Ilhan Omar has lorded over Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District for seven years now, winning her fifth consecutive term in the midterm elections.
Part of “The Squad,” a group of four progressive Democratic members of Congress who are all women of color, Omar has been an outspoken presence in Washington since she joined the US House. She has consistently stood up to President Donald Trump’s policies, insults, and racism, and advocated for Somali Americans across the country as a Somali immigrant herself.
Omar would be a strong voice in the Senate if Klobuchar appointed her, and Omar’s district would most likely elect another DFL US Rep. in Omar’s wake. The district has voted in a Democrat since 1963, and includes Hennepin County, one of the state’s most blue and populous counties.
John Hoffman
DFL state Sen. John Hoffman has spent 13 years in office. He led state and national headlines in June 2025, after he and his wife Yvette were shot multiple times in an attempted political assassination. Their daughter Hope was also targeted, but was not shot thanks to Hoffman and his wife’s attempts to shield her.
The same night, after Hoffman and his wife were shot, the shooter, Vance Boelter, shot and killed former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert.
Klobuchar would be sending someone with the personal experience and political advocacy for gun prevention laws to the Senate if she chose Hoffman. He has been extremely outspoken about the impacts on his family since the shooting, and has advocated for legislation to expand background checks and Extreme Risk Laws in the state even before the tragedy.
Kelly Morrison
DFL US Rep. Kelly Morrison has represented Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District for just one year, but she has made her mark as the first and only pro-choice OB-GYN in Congress.
Morrison practiced medicine in Minnesota for 20 years, she was a state representative for four years, and a state senator for two years before running and winning the US Rep. title. She has worked to support reproductive rights, small business, and veterans in all of these positions, and sits on multiple US House caucuses focusing on physical and mental health.
If Klobuchar chose Morrison for the seat, Morrison would remain the first and only pro-choice OB-GYN in Congress, earning the title in both the US House and Senate. She would also be the only OB-GYN in the US Senate after Republican US Sen. Roger Marshall for Kansas, a staunch pro-lifer, did not win reelection.
Melvin Carter
Melvin Carter, the former mayor of St. Paul, is a Democrat who grew up in the city that he ended up leading for eight years. He was only recently ousted from the position by former state DFL Rep. Kaohly Her.
Carter’s policy actions during that time added up, from eliminating library late fees to raising the minimum wage. He helped erase nearly $40 million of medical debt for the city’s residents and made St. Paul the first city in the US to fund a guaranteed income pilot.
Carter is currently out of office, which would mean an easy transition into the interim role if Klobuchar chooses him.
Tina Smith
DFL US Sen. Tina Smith is retiring from her position after eight years in order to spend more time with family. But just because she’s retiring, doesn’t mean that she is done with this line of work.
Smith has said, “I expect to continue to be really engaged in my community” and that she wants to continue combatting “income inequality and massive concentrations of wealth and power.” She is known for speaking out against Trump’s tariffs, Iran war, and other financial inequality.
Although she’s retiring, Smith could be a compelling interim choice for Klobuchar. She could not only get back into the Senate temporarily, but she could also show Senate-elect Flanagan the ropes in her freshman year.
Trina Swanson
Trina Swanson ran as the DFL candidate for Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District, looking to flip the historically red Iron Range seat held by incumbent Republican US Rep. Pete Stauber. She ran her campaign pointing out wealth differences between the working class and the 1% and fixing the immigration system.
Swanson is a political outsider, but has been a public servant for 25 years. She worked in the US Bankruptcy Court in Duluth, then in US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), where she represented the US in Kenya and Germany, and finally as the USCIS’s director of international operations.
With a wealth of information on how citizenship and immigration services works–or is supposed to work–in the US, Swanson could be a strong voice in Congress against ICE’s Operation Metro Surge and other negative impacts if picked by Klobuchar.
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