One thing is for sure: Minnesota will have its first female governor after the midterm election, now less than a week away. But it remains to be seen which female that will be.
WCCO's Susie Jones takes us "Behind the Ballot" in the state's gubernatorial race.
"I gave them my word I would not lie to them," Demuth said. "She told them she would give a vote for the gun safety package," retorted Klobuchar.
It was all part of an emotional exchange in a recent debate over gun reform following the tragic Annunciation shooting that left two children dead last year.
But for DFL candidate and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, gun reform has not been the focus of the campaign trail despite that fiery back-and-forth, according to University of Minnesota political science professor Larry Jacobs.
"For Demuth, it's if you're against fraud, then you have to vote against Klobuchar. For Klobuchar, she's come back and said, look, if you're against Donald Trump, who's very unpopular in Minnesota, then you shouldn't be supporting Lisa Demuth," Jacobs explains.
He says both candidates do agree, however, that change is needed in state government after millions if fraud has been uncovered in social programs going back years.
"There is a big battle here going on, it's very real, but we now know that Amy Klobuchar and Lisa Demuth both are opposed to new taxes. They both favor reforming permitting," Jacobs adds. "And so that tells you whoever's governor is gonna take a different approach than the Walz administration, which did raise taxes. And frankly some of the DFLers who are gonna be in the legislature, who are very strong on let's bring in more revenue, let's tax the wealthy."
In the end, whether the Democrat or Republican wins, Minnesota will have its first ever woman governor.
