WASHINGTON — Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) made the worst-kept secret in politics official Thursday, announcing her candidacy for governor of the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

“Minnesotans, we’ve been through a lot,” Klobuchar said in an X post accompanying her announcement video. “And I believe this moment calls for grit, resilience, and faith in each other. I believe we must stand up for what’s right. And fix what’s wrong. Today, I’m announcing my candidacy for Governor.”

The 65-year-old will be a heavy favorite in both the Democratic primary and the general election after stepping in for incumbent Tim Walz, who gave up his bid for a third term Jan. 5 amid the fallout of a massive benefit fraud scandal that has rocked Minnesota.

Klobuchar’s campaign launch video emphasized her desire “to find common ground and fix things in our state,” while also denouncing President Trump’s immigration agenda and its “abusive tactics.”

Walz had been leading in the polls over Republican state lawmaker Kristin Robbins before bowing out of the race.

The Justice Department has since launched a criminal investigation into the Democratic governor and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for potentially impeding federal immigration enforcement.

Klobuchar reportedly intended to announce her candidacy on Monday, but postponed the launch following the Jan. 24 shooting death of Alex Pretti by immigration agents in Minneapolis.

She unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, eventually dropping out and endorsing Joe Biden.

The Minnesota Democrat is serving her fourth term as a US senator, having cruised to re-election over Republican candidate and former NBA player Royce White in 2024.

The November Minnesota governor’s race will likely serve as a referendum on Democrats’ handling of pervasive welfare fraud — which may have bilked taxpayers out of $9 billion since 2018, federal authorities have said.

That covers almost the entirety of Walz’s two terms in office.

In his speech withdrawing from the race, Walz said he was “concerned about fraud in our state government” — while also denouncing “political actors seeking to take advantage” of the scandal.

The election will also likely reveal the degree to which Minnesota voters want their elected leaders to continue opposing President Trump’s immigration agenda.

Since the start of “Operation Metro Surge,” which deployed thousands of immigration officers to the Twin Cities, two Minnesotans have been fatally shot.

On Jan. 7, Renee Good was obstructing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and accelerated her vehicle in his direction before being gunned down.

Pretti, an ICU nurse, was also impeding deportation actions in Minneapolis when he was shot by a Border Patrol agent on Jan. 24.

The killings, which are under federal review, have alarmed both Democrats and Republicans in Congress — with two GOP senators calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s resignation.

In her campaign launch video, Klobuchar began by reflecting on the slayings — as well as the shocking June 2025 murder of state House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and the August killings of two Catholic schoolchildren in a mass shooting.

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has also entered the contest as a Republican candidate, along with Walz’s opponent in the 2022 gubernatorial election, former state Sen. Scott Jensen.