Minnesota Lt. Gov. and Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan is taking criticism, including from inside her own party, for her leadership during a massive fraud scandal in the state.

A Minnesota governor can make a temporary appointment to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy, according to state statute, and the law doesn’t prohibit self selection. State law also doesn’t bar a governor from being appointed by a successor,

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is being encouraged to run for Minnesota governor and is seriously considering it now that Tim Walz has dropped out of the race, according to a person familiar with her thinking.

BABBITT — The mayor of Babbitt will run for a Minnesota Senate seat as a Republican. Andrea Zupancich has announced her candidacy for the Minnesota State Senate District 3 seat, which covers a wide swath of Northeastern Minnesota. She is the first GOP candidate to enter the 2026 race.

In a letter Monday to the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus demanded an immediate investigation into an alleged $100 million fraud presented by a 42-minute viral video by independent journalist Nick Shirley.