Amy Klobuchar for Governor

For her unwavering support of public education and the professionals who work in them, Education Minnesota has endorsed U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar for Minnesota governor. 

“Amy Klobuchar has spent nearly two decades fighting for the things Minnesota educators care about most – fully funding public education, closing the special education funding gap and defending the public schools that welcome every Minnesota student,” said Monica Byron, president of Education Minnesota. “She’s the right leader for this moment, and we are proud to stand with her.” 

Education Minnesota members are at the forefront of our endorsement process again in 2026. Each gubernatorial candidate seeking our endorsement had to visit with educators inside a public school, have face-to-face conversations with educators about issues facing working families, and answer survey questions submitted by classroom educators. 

Accomplishments

Klobuchar served nearly two decades in the U.S. Senate before announcing her campaign for governor this year. During her Senate tenure, she was a consistent champion for public school funding, working to protect and expand federal education investments while opposing efforts to divert taxpayer dollars away from public schools. Her mother was a public school teacher who taught second grade until she was 70 years old, a family history that Klobuchar has long said shapes her commitment to public education. 

Klobuchar co-sponsored legislation to close the special education funding gap across multiple Congresses, including the Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers Act and the IDEA Full Funding Act, the most recent version of which was introduced in April 2025.

She also fought to extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits for working families. The Republican reconciliation bill signed by President Donald Trump in 2025 cut more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and ACA healthcare coverage. Those cuts will harm the communities Minnesota’s educators serve and, through soaring insurance costs, the educators themselves. Education Minnesota has made the cost of healthcare a central legislative priority, launching a statewide advertising and advocacy campaign for the Educator Group Insurance Program, which would put all school employees into a common pool to negotiate better rates for educators and control costs. 

Amy’s education priorities

As governor, Klobuchar will be committed to ensuring every child in Minnesota gets a good start in life, can attend a world-class school, and that everyone – no matter their ZIP code – has the opportunity to succeed.

Her education priorities include:

• Fully funding public education.
• Expanding higher education opportunities for all Minnesotans.
• Closing the opportunity gap.
• Improving educator recruitment and retention through improvements to pay, pensions and healthcare.