What happens to Amy Klobuchar's US Senate seat once she is elected governor?

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - This is what will happen to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's Senate seat now that she has been elected Minnesota's next governor. 

FULL LIST: Minnesota 2026 election results

Senate vacancy

What's next:

Klobuchar was elected Minnesota governor on Tuesday. What happens next largely depends on the timing of when Klobuchar will resign, according to state law.

If Klobuchar waits until Jan. 2027

Klobuchar could choose to remain in the U.S. Senate before she transitions to Minnesota governor.

She could wait to resign until she vacates her seat, then she herself would be able to appoint someone to temporarily fill her spot in the U.S. Senate.

If this happens, a special election would then be held in November 2027, in which nominated candidates would run for the Senate seat that was being temporarily held by Klobuchar's appointee.

If Klobuchar resigns right after winning

If Klobuchar resigns any time before she is inaugurated as governor, current Gov. Tim Walz would appoint the temporary Minnesota representative for the U.S. Senate.

Walz could also potentially decline to make an appointment, in which case, the seat could remain vacant until Klobuchar took office and made the appointment.

2027 special primary and election

Regardless of whether Walz or Klobuchar appointed someone to the Senate, the appointee would not automatically keep their seat until the end of the term.

A special primary must be held, according to Minnesota state law. In this case, different hopefuls will run for different parties in the hopes of being voted as their party's nominee.

If Walz or Klobuchar appointed a Democrat to the Senate, this person would not automatically be the Democrat's nominee to run in the special election either, though they might stand at an advantage from their potential endorsements.

In Nov. 2027, a special election must be held, according to Minnesota state law. Minnesotans then will decide who to vote for to represent them in the U.S. Senate.

The person who wins the special election would then serve in the U.S. Senate until the end of their term, which would be in Jan. 2031.

The special election would therefore fill four years of the Senate term. The special election would not cover a new, full 6-year term.

Who might fill Klobuchar's seat?

Dig deeper:

Neither Walz nor Klobuchar have publicly speculated who they might appoint if Klobuchar is elected governor. However, Walz said in Feb. 2026 that he would rather "eat glass" than fill the Senate seat himself. 

"The context was that Eric asked me if I would like to fill out Sen. Klobuchar's Senate term and I said I'd rather eat glass than do that," Walz said. "That was an option."

Walz announced his decision not to run for a third term earlier this year, stating he wants to dedicate his efforts to defending Minnesotans rather than engaging in political campaigning. He emphasized that every minute spent on political interests could be better used to protect the state from fraud and division.

Walz initially announced his intention to run for a third term in September 2025 but changed his mind by January 2026. Insiders suggest he never fully intended to pursue another term and hoped for other candidates to step forward.

Later in January, Klobuchar announced she would be running for governor. 

Klobuchar to become Minnesota's first woman governor

Big picture view:

Klobuchar defeated Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth for Minnesota governor. It was the first open governor's race since 2018, since Walz has decided not to seek a third term. 

Klobuchar will be the first female governor in the state's history. 

The Source: Information from this story comes from the Official Publication of the State of Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, previous FOX 9 reporting, The New York Times/Siena University polling, pollster 270 to Win, and Decision Desk HQ with The Hill. This story was reported from Eden Prairie, Minnesota.