Klobuchar and Demuth clash over fraud in final Minnesota governor debate

Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth met Wednesday night in Rochester for their final debate before the Nov. 3 election. They clashed over fraud in state programs, abortion, gas prices and Boundary Waters mining. Gov. Tim Walz is not seeking a third term, and either candidate would be Minnesota's first woman governor.

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Why it matters

Minnesotans choose a new governor on November 3 because Gov. Tim Walz is not seeking a third term. The candidates offered different plans for fraud in state programs, along with differences on abortion, gas prices and copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters.

What to watch

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

How each side sees it

Lisa Demuth (Republican) saysDemocrats failed to fix fraud in state programs; people convicted of fraud would go to jail and be barred from state social services programs under her administration.

Amy Klobuchar (Democrat) saysShe would have addressed fraud sooner and would order a "top to bottom audit," fixing or getting rid of programs that don't work.

Sources

Checked against 3 established news sources:

Also in this edition

Published Thursday, October 22, 2026. Spot an error? Email [email protected]. See our corrections log and standards.