Follow-Up: Klobuchar and Demuth Clash Over State Government Fraud in Rochester Gubernatorial Debate
The two candidates for governor of Minnesota — Democratic (DFL) nominee and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Republican nominee and State House Speaker Lisa Demuth — met for a one-hour televised debate on Wednesday evening, October 21, at the KTTC/KXLT studios in Rochester. Produced by Gray Media with FOX 9 and carried statewide, including KMSP FOX 9 in the Twin Cities, KBJR in Duluth and KEYC in Mankato, it was the pair's second meeting of the week and likely their last before the election; GSM had previewed the debate earlier.
Preventing fraud in state government dominated the exchanges. Demuth pledged to fire every agency commissioner on her first day in office and to sign an executive order strengthening whistleblower protections. Klobuchar proposed a full audit of state agencies and a "do not pay" list to block suspect payments. "We don't need a rubber stamp of Donald Trump in the governor's office," Klobuchar said, while conceding that Governor Tim Walz "should have caught the fraud earlier." Both candidates ruled out tax increases.
This is Minnesota's first open-seat governor's race since 2018, with Walz not seeking a third term. Whoever wins on November 3 will be Minnesota's first woman governor; a Demuth victory would also make her the state's first Black governor. Republicans have not won a Minnesota statewide election since 2006.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：明尼苏达州议会大厦（Saint Paul）。摄影：Ken Lund，CC BY-SA 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul. Photo by Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
- 2026-10-21Final Minnesota Governor's Debate Tonight at 7 p.m.: Klobuchar Faces Demuth
- 2026-10-22Follow-Up: Klobuchar and Demuth Clash Over State Government Fraud in Rochester Gubernatorial DebateThis story
