Klobuchar victory sets up historic U.S. Senate special election in 2027

Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s election as Minnesota governor is historic in many ways. Not only will she be the first female governor of the state, but she’s also the first sitting Minnesota senator to be elected governor. Her election will also set up the first special election in an odd-numbered year since 1923, when Sen. Knute Nelson died while in office.

“What Amy Klobuchar is about to do is not something we have a lot of experience with,” says Larry Jacobs of the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Klobuchar could stay in office as a U.S. Senator until just before she’s sworn in as governor on Jan. 4. Once she resigns from the Senate and becomes governor, one of her first official acts could be appointing her successor. However, that person would also have to run in a special election on Nov. 2, 2027, after less than a year in office, if they choose to run. Either that can...