By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Democrat U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar has filed paperwork to run for governor of Minnesota, positioning herself to succeed Democrat Governor Tim Walz, who announced earlier this month that he will not seek a third term while responding to political attacks from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Klobuchar has filed paperwork with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, which on Thursday listed her as having formed a gubernatorial campaign committee, according to the board’s public filings.
The election is scheduled for November.
Klobuchar has long been critical of Trump, a Republican, including his administration’s actions in Minnesota.
The Trump administration has deployed about 3,000 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers around Minnesota’s largest city, where residents have been on edge since an immigration officer shot and killed a U.S. citizen this month.
Democrats and local leaders have accused federal agents of aggressive and unnecessary tactics that have left many immigrant communities afraid. The state and its largest city, Minneapolis, have seen large protests.
Trump casts his actions as aimed at tackling allegations of fraud and illegal immigration.
Walz said this month he will not seek another term, adding he would instead focus on allegations of fraud in the state’s welfare system that became a crisis after mounting pressure from the Trump administration.
Rights advocates have said the Trump administration has used fraud allegations as an excuse to target immigrants and political opponents. They have also dismissed Trump’s ability to tackle fraud, citing pardons from Trump to those who have faced fraud convictions in the past.
Klobuchar has in recent weeks met with school principals from her state and said she “heard horror stories of kids and parents ‘under siege’ by ICE.” She has urged residents to remain peaceful and said the Trump administration’s actions go beyond tackling fraud allegations.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Diane Craft)
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