Klobuchar puts gubernatorial bid announcement on hold after Minneapolis shooting

The Minnesota Democratic senator says her focus on Immigration and Customs Enforcement – particularly voting in coming days on funding for the agency and two fatal, separate shootings of residents in her state by an ICE agent.

Published: January 27, 2026 8:31am

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar put any announcement about potentially entering the Minnesota governor's race on hold after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection shooting in Minneapolis over the weekend.

“First of all, I filed the paperwork, and that was based on the fact that you know I like my job right now as a U.S. Senator, but I love Minnesota. And right now, with what’s happening in our towns and not just Minneapolis and St. Paul, but with ICE in the suburbs and in greater Minnesota, that’s what my focus is right now. But stay tuned,” Klobuchar told KSTP on Monday.

On Saturday, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis amid an anti-ICE protest.

Klobuchar said that she is also focusing on budget negotiations this week, which include a possible increase in funding for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I literally cannot support something where you are just carte blanche giving them more funds to increase and bring in more ICE officers into Minnesota or other parts of the country,” she said.

Klobuchar added that she would support separating ICE funding from a larger budget bill to avoid a potential government shutdown at the end of the week.

“We’ve said, why don’t you separate this out, this ICE funding, so we can have a separate discussion about that, so we can fund defense and other things that are in the budget, so that’s what’s being negotiated right now,” she explained.

Klobuchar's delayed gubernatorial bid announcement comes as Chris Madel, the lawyer for the ICE officer who shot Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month, ended his campaign for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, citing disagreements with the party over ICE raids.

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