ROCHESTER, Minn. — U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the presumptive Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate for governor, received her party’s endorsement this weekend at the state convention with overwhelming support — though there were a few progressive holdouts.

After one round of voting Friday at the state party convention, the 1,200 delegates gathered at Rochester’s Mayo Civic Center backed Klobuchar, a fourth-term senator, with 67.6% support. Also on the ballot was Kobey Layne, who received roughly 27.6% of the vote. The rest were uncommitted.In a speech and question-and-answer session ahead of the endorsement vote, Klobuchar emphasized her record of passing legislation in the Senate, her ability to appeal to many different voters across the state and the positive effect on other DFLers when she appears on the ballot.

“I have won around this state, and I do it by bringing people with me, not by pushing them aside, by standing up for the fight and showing up and making sure that people know that I am on their side,” she said. “I want to take this ticket and earn the trust of independents, of the moderate Republicans that have had it with Donald Trump, and win big in this election.”

Klobuchar said as governor, she would resist the Trump administration, “make life affordable” by reducing the cost of health care and child care, and push for new gun-control measures in the wake of the Annunciation Catholic School church shooting and the assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.

With formal backing from the DFL, Klobuchar, who has a long history of success in statewide elections and a significant fundraising advantage over her potential Republican rivals, will now receive direct support from the party five months ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Klobuchar entered the race in January after DFL Gov. Tim Walz withdrew his candidacy amid mounting scrutiny on his handling of widespread fraud in state programs. Walz blamed “political gamesmanship” by Trump and Republicans over fraud for his withdrawal.

With no challengers at the convention, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon received the endorsement by acclamation from delegates on Friday. Delegates were scheduled to take up endorsements for U.S. Senate and state auditor on Saturday.

Progressive pushback

Klobuchar handily won the endorsement, but not without first facing progressive party activists.

In her speech before the vote, Layne called on the Democratic Party to live up to its stated progressive ideals and do more to fight corporate interests. She called for a $25-per-hour minimum wage, abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a moratorium on data center construction and investment in affordable housing.

“Many of us are just concerned with keeping this seat blue. However, the trend in this country is to take for granted the communities that vote Democrat in order to grab a couple extra independent and moderate votes,” Layne said. “Friends … we attended the No Kings rallies, yet what stands before us is the coronation of yet another corporate Democrat. What it takes to change these systems is a working-class candidate who refuses to be bought.”

More than half of the roughly 1,200 delegates at the convention were participating in the endorsement process for the first time, according to DFL Chair Richard Carlbom.

Ahead of the endorsement vote, Klobuchar supporters holding batons with flashing green lights dominated the convention floor. But not all delegates in Rochester were behind the frontrunner.

With no significant competitors, Klobuchar was the overwhelming favorite. Yet some delegates said they were still uncommitted ahead of the final vote, citing concerns about her record as a moderate and handling of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown this winter.

Younger delegates

Dan Heuer, a 34-year-old first-time delegate from Roseville, said he hadn’t told any campaigns that he was committed to their candidates.

Like other younger delegates representing the progressive wing of the DFL, Heuer said he was concerned about what he described as Klobuchar’s failure to push more aggressively against federal immigration officials during the winter enforcement action in the Twin Cities and around the state.

“Operation Metro Surge really showed me how weak she is on more progressive stances, how willing she is to cater towards a center, moderate, or even an uninformed voter,” said Heuer, who argued Klobuchar shouldn’t have taken White House border czar Tom Homan’s word that the Trump administration was dialing down its enforcement activities in February.

Others said they were not satisfied with Klobuchar’s record on Israel, despite her recent shift to supporting restrictions on certain arms sales and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

While younger progressives acknowledged Klobuchar’s DFL endorsement and eventual primary win were all but inevitable, they hoped to push their message by backing another candidate or not supporting a candidate at all.

Other delegates said they were committed to supporting Klobuchar on the first ballot because of her moderate positions and past success in elections.

“We need to keep the governorship, we need to keep Minnesota blue,” said Cathy Johnson, 75, of Farmington. “With all of the problems that Walz has had to face with fraud … I think she’s our best chance of keeping the state going.”

Electoral success

Klobuchar has performed well statewide in every election since she first won office in 2006 and has always led her Republican competitors by double-digit percentage margins. No Republican has won an election for statewide office since Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2006.

Republicans running for governor include House Speaker Lisa Demuth; MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell; 2022 Republican endorsement contender Kendall Qualls, a former congressional candidate; and businessman Patrick Knight. The Minnesota GOP was expected to endorse its candidates for governor on Saturday at its convention in Duluth.

Before winning her Senate seat, Klobuchar served as Hennepin County attorney. In 2020, she ran for president, but suspended her campaign in March of that year and later endorsed Joe Biden.

Klobuchar was elected to a fourth term in 2024. If she is elected governor, Walz could appoint her successor. State law requires a special election the following November to elect a successor to complete the rest of Klobuchar’s current six-year term, which expires in 2030.