If Sen, Amy Klobuchar becomes Minnesota’s next governor, then she’ll be in the unique position of potentially appointing her own successor to the U.S. Senate. Klobuchar’s seat has been held by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party since the turn of the century. Klobuchar has won each of her four Senate campaigns by double-digit margins. It’s likely that whoever Klobuchar appoints to this seat will shape federal representation in Minnesota for years to come.
There’s a possibility that Gov. Tim Walz could appoint a successor if Klobuchar resigns in the interim period between the November election and being sworn in as governor in January, but Walz can and likely would defer to Klobuchar, allowing her to make the appointment upon her inauguration. Speculation of a handshake deal — wherein Klobuchar would appoint Walz to her seat — was quickly put to rest when Walz told reporters he’d “rather eat glass” than be appointed to the U.S. Senate. Neither Walz nor Klobuchar has made any public comment on whom they’d appoint in the likely scenario that she wins her campaign for governor.
Former Gov. Mark Dayton appointed Minnesota’s junior senator in 2018, and Sen. Tina Smith won two subsequent elections before announcing she’ll be retire at the end of this year. Now that Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has won the DFL nomination to replace Smith, does Klobuchar plan to appoint the runner-up, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig? Does she have someone else in mind? Is there a shortlist of potential candidates?
There are very few instances in the modern era of a sitting U.S. senator running for governor and being in a position to appoint their own successor. Sen. Frank Murkowski of Alaska won the governor’s race in 2002 and appointed his daughter Sen. Lisa Murkowski (prompting Alaska to change laws around appointments). Sen. Jon Corzine was elected governor of New Jersey in 2005 and appointed Sen. Bob Menendez to replace him. Menendez is currently in prison for federal corruption charges.
This isn’t to imply Klobuchar would appoint someone problematic to replace her in the Senate, but it does raise concerns about the importance of transparency with the appointment process. If Klobuchar is elected, the Senate appointment will likely be her first significant act as governor. Her choice to fill her Senate seat could be there for decades to come and have a much greater impact on the lives of Minnesotans than, say, Klobuchar’s lieutenant governor.
Klobuchar owes it to voters to tell us ahead of time whom she plans to appoint to replace her.
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