U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has raised $4.8 million for her campaign since she launched her bid for Minnesota governor at the end of January, her campaign announced Wednesday, April 15.
Klobuchar’s total, amassed in just 62 days, suggests she’ll have a staggering cash advantage from now until November, compounded by outside spending by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and well-funded allies like Alliance for a Better Minnesota.
Over 90% of donors have given Klobuchar’s governor campaign less than $100, which means she can keep asking them for more as the contest heats up, and she has $3.4 million cash on hand. Klobuchar’s campaign said her haul is the most raised by any candidate for governor in its first two months. In 2022, Gov. Tim Walz raised just over $1 million in the first quarter of that year, according to Minnesota campaign finance data.
“(Klobuchar’s) grassroots donor base knows that she fights for people no matter the odds, and they stepped up the moment she announced her campaign for governor,” said Joe Radosevich, her campaign manager, in a statement.
Klobuchar, Minnesota’s senior senator and the state’s most accomplished vote-getter, has raised over six times as much as GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who is a leading GOP candidate for governor. Demuth has raised over $730,000 since she launched her campaign in November, Demuth’s campaign said. Demuth raised about $226,000 in the first quarter.
Kendall Qualls, an army veteran and former health care executive, has raised $700,000 since he launched his campaign for governor last summer, Qualls’ campaign said. In the first quarter of 2026, Qualls raised about $123,000, according to his campaign.
Since launching her campaign on Jan. 29, Klobuchar has held no campaign rallies and has largely refrained from campaigning on social media, unlike her Republican opponents.
Klobuchar hopped into the race after Walz ended his campaign for a third term after intensifying scrutiny of fraud in safety net programs. Walz reportedly met with Klobuchar and urged her to run.
Other Democrats have stayed out of the race since then, no doubt deterred by Klobuchar’s electoral record, top-flight political operation and fundraising prowess.
Klobuchar is a heavy favorite to win in November against a field of Republicans who are unknown to most Minnesotans, aside from MyPillow mogul Mike Lindell. Republican candidates include Demuth, Qualls, and state Rep. Kristin Robbins.
The DFL Party and the Republican Party of Minnesota will hold their endorsing conventions next month.
Klobuchar has spent two decades in the U.S. Senate, where lawmakers primarily send out press releases, take lots of votes and manage constituent services.
The governor of Minnesota oversees an enterprise with more than 36,000 employees, an annual general fund budget of $33 billion and billions more in Medicaid and other federal dollars now under considerable scrutiny following the discovery of hundreds of millions in fraud in recent years.
As the Republican Party of Minnesota has noted, since she launched her campaign, Klobuchar’s campaign website lists no priorities, top issues or even a description of her. She also hasn’t conducted any interviews with Minnesota media outlets.
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