Minnesota governor candidates continue to emphasize fraud platforms as election draws closer

ST. PAUL, Minn. (GRAY) – In a little more than one week, Lisa Demuth (R) and Amy Klobuchar (DFL) will face off to become the next governor of Minnesota. As the two candidates enter the final stretch, they’re also looking to make a final case to voters regarding key campaign issues.

On Monday, Minnesota House Speaker and Republican candidate for Governor Lisa Demuth looked to contrast her fraud platform with that of her opponent, Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Demuth has regularly argued that Klobuchar, while serving in the U.S. Senate, did little to act against a number of fraud schemes occurring in Minnesota.

“My opponent always has another plan, but she has no plan to combat the record fraud crisis Minnesotans have endured under the failed leadership of Tim Walz,” said Demuth on Monday.

Klobuchar, however, disagrees with Demuth’s framing. When Demuth voiced a similar refrain during last week’s debate, Klobuchar pointed to action she took in the wake of the ‘Feeding Our Future’ scheme.

“When this came out, I called the [former] U.S. Attorney Andy Luger, and I said, ‘What do you need?’ And he said, ‘I need more prosecutors.’ I called the highest level of the Justice Department, and I got him those prosecutors,” said Klobuchar.

Demuth, on Monday, publicly cast doubt on Klobuchar’s story, arguing they were unable to find any press releases regarding the hiring of additional prosecutors.

A spokesperson for the Klobuchar campaign pointed out that Klobuchar’s claim to have aided Luger’s office was corroborated by Luger earlier this year. Luger has endorsed Klobuchar for governor.

Both Klobuchar and Demuth have publicly laid out plans to combat fraud in Minnesota. Both candidates, while taking slightly different approaches, aim to reassess all state agencies, deliver new whistleblower protections, and support the development of new fraud detection measures.

“When I look at what we need to do, [I see] a top-to-bottom audit, an entirely new team that I will bring in, [and] protections to whistleblowers, an issue I’ve worked on extensively in the United States Senate,” Klobuchar said during last week’s gubernatorial debate.

“I am going to be firing all commissioners, choosing new commissioners that are experts in their field that will carry out the accountability and transparency that is needed in our state,” Demuth said during the debate.