What Happens To Klobuchar's Senate Seat If She Becomes Governor?

Sen. Amy Klobuchar won the DFL primary for governor. Here's how her Senate seat would be filled, and who could get the appointment.

By William Bornhoft, Patch Staff

Aug 13, 2026 12:37 PM CDT

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., questions Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, as she appears for an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

ST. PAUL, MN — U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won the DFL nomination for Minnesota governor Tuesday night, beating six other candidates and setting up a November matchup with Republican state Rep. Lisa Demuth.

Minnesotans potentially face a question that has been looming since Klobuchar entered the race: what happens to her Senate seat if she wins?

Minnesota is not a resign-to-run state, so Klobuchar can hold her Senate seat through the general election and even after taking office as governor.

Her Senate term does not expire until January 2031, so a loss in the governor's race would not cost her the seat.

If she wins in November, the timing of her resignation determines who makes the Senate appointment.

Under state law, the governor in office at the moment of the vacancy gets to name a temporary replacement.

That means Walz could step in and fill the seat before Klobuchar is sworn in as governor, or Klobuchar could hold the Senate seat until her own inauguration and then appoint her own successor.

Whoever gets the nod would serve on a temporary basis until a special election.

Because the vacancy would occur after the November 2026 general election, state law points to a special election in November 2027 to fill the remainder of Klobuchar's term, which runs through January 2031.

The last time this played out in Minnesota was in 2017, when Sen. Al Franken resigned amid misconduct allegations.

Then-Gov. Mark Dayton appointed his own lieutenant governor, Tina Smith, to the seat. Smith went on to win the 2018 special election.

There is no public shortlist for a Klobuchar appointment.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is on the ballot for Minnesota's other Senate seat, the one being vacated by Smith, after winning her own primary Tuesday.

For now, the succession questions remain hypothetical.

Klobuchar and Demuth face off in the Nov. 3 general election, and Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor since Tim Pawlenty left office in 2011.