Demuth Pledges Day-One Firings of All Minnesota Commissioners; Klobuchar Calls It Absurd Amid Fraud Fight

On Wednesday night in Rochester, Minnesota's two leading candidates for governor stood on a debate stage and argued over how the state let fraud in its programs grow as large as it did. It was their second debate of the week, and likely the last before Election Day on Nov. 3.

Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth opened with the sharpest promise of the night. If elected, she said, she will fire every state commissioner on her first day in office and replace them with people who are experts in their fields. She described the goal as bringing accountability and transparency to state government. "We have to change the culture of fraud," she said, adding that fraud left unchecked had gone on too long before finally coming to the surface.

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar called the pledge absurd. She answered it with an account of her own role: after the fraud came to light, she said, she contacted U.S. Attorney Andy Luger to ask what his office needed. His answer, by her telling, was that he needed more prosecutors. She said she went to the highest level of the Justice Department and got them for him.

Klobuchar also took aim at the man she hopes to succeed. Gov. Tim Walz, she said, should have caught the fraud earlier and should have done more. That criticism sits alongside her description of Walz as an incredible governor, and Demuth pressed the point, saying Klobuchar had not named any specific policies on which she would break with him.

Klobuchar, in turn, tried to tie Demuth to national politics. She criticized Demuth for not clearly separating herself from President Donald Trump, saying Minnesota does not need a rubber stamp for Trump in the governor's office.

The scandals themselves have shaken the state. They have raised questions about how large-scale abuse of state programs went undetected, which has put government oversight at the center of the race.

The debate also covered the economy, taxes, public safety and the state's direction. Both candidates have ruled out tax increases. Demuth argues that Minnesota needs to rein in spending and regulations, while Klobuchar emphasizes lowering costs for health care, housing and child care.

The stakes carry some history. Republicans have not won a statewide race in Minnesota since 2006. Whoever wins, the state will elect its first female governor, and a Demuth victory would also make her the first Black governor in Minnesota's history. Voters decide on Nov. 3.