Klobuchar, Demuth face off in final Minnesota governor debate

ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - Candidates for Minnesota governor U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth will face off Wednesday night in the final debate before the Nov. 3 general election. 

The hour-long Minnesota gubernatorial debate will air live on FOX 9 at 7 p.m., followed by an hour of debate analysis. The debate is being held in partnership with Gray Media television stations. 

QUICK LINKS: Minnesota voter guide | How to vote early in Minnesota | Minnesota politics & election news

Watch FOX 9 gubernatorial debate

Big picture view:

The debate will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 21, beginning at 7 p.m. The candidates will face questions from a panel of representatives from each participating television station, focusing on key statewide and regional issues. The panelists include FOX 9 political reporter Corin Hoggard. 

What you can do:

You can watch the debate live in the player above or stream it on the FOX LOCAL app and FOX 9's YouTube channel. 

• FOX 9 coverage of the debate will begin at 6:30 p.m.
• The 60-minute debate between Klobuchar and Demuth will begin at 7 p.m., live from the KTTC/KXLT studio in Rochester.
• There will be an hour of debate analysis on FOX 9.

Minnesota governor's race: Klobuchar vs. Demuth 

Why you should care:

Minnesota has an open governor's race for the first time since 2018 after Democrat Gov. Tim Walz decided not to seek a third term. The Minnesota governor's race will likely make history because if either Klobuchar or Demuth wins, the voters will be electing the state's first woman governor. 

The backstory:

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, is in her fourth Senate term. She was the first woman to represent Minnesota in the position, first running in 2006 after a career as a Hennepin County prosecutor. She briefly ran a presidential campaign in 2020. Since winning her first election in 2006, she has risen to 14th in the Senate in seniority, and the third Democrat in Senate party leadership.

Republican Lisa Demuth has served as speaker of the Minnesota House since 2024, the first Black lawmaker to serve in that role, and served as minority leader before that. She was first elected to the House in 2018. Prior to that, she was a small business owner and served on the Rockville, Cold Spring, and Richmond (ROCORI) school board. If Demuth wins the election, she will also become the first Black governor of Minnesota, according to data from the National Governor’s Association. 

Dig deeper:

Minnesota has not had a Republican governor since Tim Pawlenty, who left office in 2011. The GOP has not won a statewide election in Minnesota in 20 years, when Pawlenty won the 2006 election.