Klobuchar and Demuth Clash Over Fraud in Final Minnesota Debate

Democratic US Senator Amy Klobuchar and Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth met on Wednesday night, Oct 21, 2026, in Rochester, Minnesota, in their only scheduled televised debate of the governor's race. The hour long debate aired on FOX 9 and Gray Media stations across the state, from studios in Rochester. With Election Day set for Nov 3 and early voting already underway, the two candidates made their final televised pitch to voters in a race that polls show Klobuchar leading by upper single digits.\n\n## An open seat and a historic first\n\nThe seat is open because Governor Tim Walz is not seeking a third term. It is Minnesota's first open governor's race since 2018. Whoever wins will be Minnesota's first woman governor. Demuth would also be the state's first Black governor. The Fox News Power Rankings rate the race Likely Democrat, but the debate gave Demuth a statewide stage to close the gap and gave Klobuchar a chance to answer attacks tied to the Walz years. The candidates discussed fraud, taxes and agriculture during the hour, according to the Minnesota News Network summary.\n\n## Fraud dominated the night\n\nFraud took up the center of the debate. Demuth tied Klobuchar to the Walz era fraud scandal in state social services programs and said Minnesota has allowed a culture of waste and fraud to go on too long. On stage she put the fraud total at $9 billion, a figure she presented as her claim about the scale of the problem. Klobuchar answered directly. She said the fraud is unacceptable, said that as a former prosecutor she will send fraudsters to jail, and said Walz should have caught the fraud earlier and done more. She proposed surprise fraud audits as one tool to catch abuse sooner. The exchange set the tone for the rest of the night, with Demuth arguing that the same party has run the state too long and Klobuchar arguing that her record as a prosecutor fits the job of cleaning up the programs.\n\n## Taxes, costs and the farm economy\n\nBeyond fraud, the two offered different lists of fixes. Demuth pledged to replace state agency commissioners, lower vehicle registration fees and speed up permitting for farmers. Klobuchar called for lower health care and child care costs and for expanding agricultural markets amid trade tensions. On gas prices she said the fastest way to bring them down is to stop the war in Iran. Those answers showed the wider split in the race: Demuth ran on changing the people and the culture in state agencies, while Klobuchar ran on costs for families and markets for farmers. President Donald Trump has endorsed Demuth. He earlier backed Mike Lindell, who lost the Republican primary to Demuth in August. That history gives Demuth the president's support in the general election while marking a primary fight she already won once.\n\n## What happens next\n\nEarly voting is underway across Minnesota, so many voters will cast ballots before Election Day on Nov 3. The debate was the only scheduled televised meeting of the campaign, which means both sides now rely on ads, travel and local stops to reach the voters who are still deciding. Klobuchar leaves Rochester with the lead that polls have shown for weeks. Demuth leaves with the fraud argument she wanted on statewide television, pressed in her own words in the final debate of the race.\n\n### Sources\n\nFOX 9, Fox News and Minnesota News Network via Ingstad Media.