Klobuchar fights off challenge from left, wins DFL convention nod in bid for governor

ROCHESTER – Sen. Amy Klobuchar sees a transformed Minnesota under her leadership as governor, one where life is more affordable, government services are delivered seamlessly and the state bucks President Donald Trump’s agenda and holds his officials accountable.

That’s the message she left for over 1,200 Democratic-Farmer-Labor delegates after capturing the endorsement for Minnesota governor Friday.

“I’m going to get things done. I don’t like to wait around. (Sen.) Tina (Smith) once told me patience may be a virtue, but it’s a virtue I don’t have,” Klobuchar said. “I will stand up for what’s right, and I will fix what’s wrong. And you need a government that solves your problems instead of causing them. It needs to work for you.”

Minnesota Republicans on Saturday will endorse a candidate to face off against likely nominee Klobuchar. The three frontrunners are House Speaker Lisa Demuth, Army veteran and former healthcare executive Kendall Qualls and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

The endorsement wasn’t by acclimation, as Klobuchar no doubt desired. More than half of the delegates were first-time attendees, younger and more progressive-leaning than a typical year.

Frustrated by Klobuchar’s centrist politics and the lack of alternatives, delegates also nominated 26-year-old Kobey Layne for Minnesota governor, indicating that Klobuchar did not have the unanimous support of all the delegates. Layne is a former Minnesota legislative assistant who said that Klobuchar’s candidacy was “the coronation of yet another corporate Democrat.”

“I got in this race because Minnesota is skipping over the primary process. What we learned through Operation Metro Surge is that when we are called to meet the moment to defend our communities from systems that seek to harm us, we must stand in solidarity because our communities are worth the fight,” Layne said.

Layne’s nomination was supported by Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, who was stumping for Layne at the convention. Finke said she wants a fighter for transgender rights, and she wanted a trans person to give a speech at the DFL convention.

Klobuchar won the endorsement at 12:40 a.m.;the lateness of the hour recalled the 3 a.m. Democratic acceptance speech of Sen. George McGovern in 1972 before a landslide defeat to President Richard Nixon, the last time a Republican won Minnesota.

Still, Klobuchar won on the first ballot with  nearly 68% of the vote; Layne received 27%.

Ben Schierer, Klobuchar’s lieutenant governor pick, was also endorsed. If elected, Schierer would be the first male lieutenant governor in Minnesota since the early 1980s, when Lou Wangberg served Gov. Al Quie.

The brief and boisterous insurgency mirrored the uprising against establishment Democrats across the country since 2024, as frustrated activists have organized around anger at national Democrats’ ineffective response to the second Trump administration. Maine Democrats, for instance, are on the brink of defying Senate leadership and choosing populist military veteran and oysterman Graham Platner over Maine Gov. Janet Mills in the June 9 primary there, despite his Nazi tattoo and since-deleted imprudent and at times offensive remarks on social media.

During her 15-minute pitch to delegates, Klobuchar had tears in her eyes as she described how she intends to create a state government that solves problems. Klobuchar was at times shaking, and her voice wavered.

Jen Bloomquist, 43, is a first-time convention-goer and delegate who described herself as “much to the left of Amy.” Bloomquist, who lives in East Bethel, is running for the Minnesota House in the fall.

Despite the ideological differences, Bloomquist said she’s supporting Klobuchar.

“We can’t be the state that has the MyPillow guy as the governor,” said Bloomquist, referring to Mike Lindell, one of the GOP candidates seeking the endorsement this weekend.

Rodel Querubin, a founder of a BIPOC rock climbing group in St. Paul, said he believes Klobuchar is a “great choice” for governor because of her leadership experience. Querubin said he wants a governor who will champion progressive values, and Klobuchar — once in office — will listen to her constituents who want her to take progressive stances.

“I’m all about making sure we get our people into office and then holding them accountable or helping drive their positions,” Querubin said.

Prior to her pitch to delegates, Klobuchar’s campaign handed out foam glowsticks with the senior senator’s name. They lit up and blinked, and convention staffers repeatedly asked people to turn them off. Eventually, a delegate asked staff to pick up the foam glowsticks because the person feared a risk of seizure by people who are light-sensitive.

Klobuchar told delegates she’s the best candidate to win in November because she’s able to bring conservatives, independents and progressives together.

“I want to take this ticket and earn the trust of independents of those moderate Republicans that have had it with Donald Trump and win big in this election,” Klobuchar said.

DFL delegates on Friday also endorsed Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for a third term and Secretary of State Steve Simon for a fourth term.