by Luke Sprinkel
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won a fourth term Tuesday night after beating Republican challenger Royce White by double digits.
Klobuchar, a Democrat, has represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate since first being elected in 2006. She won her first three elections for the seat by more than 20 points.
Since arriving in the Senate, Klobuchar has risen up the ranks of Democratic leadership. For the last two years, she has chaired one of the most powerful committees in the chamber, the Senate Rules Committee.
While Klobuchar won reelection, the Republicans wrested control of the U.S. Senate from Democrats after victories in West Virginia and Ohio. As such, Klobuchar will lose her powerful committee role.
During the campaign, White, a former NBA player, positioned himself as an anti-establishment outsider who was opposed to elements of both parties. Campaigning with the slogan, “The People Are Coming,” White ran on a platform that sought to secure the border, tackle the debt problem, and oppose forever wars.
The Republican first ran for office in 2022 when he sought the Minneapolis congressional seat currently held by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. However, White did not advance past the GOP primary in that race.
Elected to a standard six-year U.S. Senate term, Klobuchar’s fourth term will conclude in January of 2031.
While Klobuchar won by double digits on Tuesday, her 2024 election was the closest of her four races.
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Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
Photo “Amy Klobuchar” by Amy Klobuchar. Photo “Royce White” by Royce White.
