Minnesota Dem Sen Klobuchar officially files to run for governor

Minnesota Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Thursday officially announced her bid for governor, after delaying a scheduled announcement earlier this week to address Immigration and Customs enforcement matters including the federal agency's illegal immigration sweep in her state.

The four-term senator had filed paperwork one week ago to seek the office being vacated by retiring Democrat Tim Walz. 

She postponed her planned Monday announcement after immigration agents on Saturday fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Klobuchar also cited as a reason for her delayed bid was her senatorial duty for continued funding for ICE as part of a spending package to keep the federal government from partially shutting down at the end of the month.  

"These times call for leaders who can stand up and not be rubber stamps of this administration, but who are also willing to find common ground and fix things in our state," she said in announcing her bid.

Klobuchar enters the race amid a major, ongoing fraud scandal in the state that has been described as the nation's largest COVID-era scheme, according to Fox News.

The fallout from the fraud scheme resulted, at least in part, in Walz abandoning his reelection bid, Fox also reports.