Republican Candidate Kristin Robbins Drops Out of Minnesota Governor's Race

Minnesota Rep. Kristin Robbins announced on Friday that she is suspending her bid for governor, suggesting there's no path forward after a popular Democrat candidate jumped into the race.

Rachel Acenas

Published: 5/2/2026, 11:29:16 PM EDT

Republican Candidate Kristin Robbins Drops Out of Minnesota Governor's Race — (L-R) Kristin Robbins, Republican member of the Minnesota House of Representatives; Walter Hudson, Republican member of the Minnesota House of Representatives; Marion O'Neill Rarick, Republican member of the Minnesota House of Representatives; and Brendan Ballou, former special counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, testify during a House Oversight Committee hearing titled "Oversight of Fraud and Misuse of Federal Funds in Minnesota," on Capitol Hill on Jan. 7, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Minnesota Rep. Kristin Robbins announced on Friday that she is suspending her bid for governor, suggesting there's no path forward after a popular Democrat candidate jumped into the race.

Robbins, a Republican candidate to replace Gov. Tim Walz, said in a statement that the candidacy of Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) made it difficult for her to continue her campaign.

"It has become apparent that the establishment political class, media, and donors have anointed Amy Klobuchar, despite her refusal to engage meaningfully on the issues that matter most to Minnesotans," Robbins said in a statement.

Klobuchar has served in the U.S. Senate seat for Minnesota since 2007. The senior senator and lawyer quickly jumped into the governor's race after Walz announced he would not seek a third term in office in wake of widespread fraud in his state. Klobuchar ran for president in the 2020 Democratic primary, but ultimately dropped out and endorsed Joe Biden.

Robbins has represented District 37A in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2018. She chairs the Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, serves as vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and also serves as a member of the Taxes and Higher Education committees.

The Minnesota Republican ran her gubernatorial campaign on fighting against “sanctuary” policies for illegal immigrants, lowering taxes and energy costs for residents, and stopping fraud in Minnesota.

Robbins said she is leaving elected office after her term ends, suggesting in her statement that it's the right choice to make.

"Our state government and political system are broken, and after fighting for Minnesotans from the inside for the past eight years, I have determined that the best way for me to fight for the future of our state is from the outside," Robbins said. "I believe more than ever that it’s going to take a grassroots coalition of common-sense Minnesotans to save our state. And that starts with our families, faith, and communities, not government."

Her exit from the race narrows the field of Republicans running for governor to seven candidates, including House Speaker Lisa Demuth, Army veteran Kendall Qualls, and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell.

Robbins did not endorse a candidate in her announcement.

Among the crowded field of Democratic candidates, Klobuchar remains the heavy favorite in the race.

Klobuchar launched her campaign in January, promising to take on President Donald Trump and unify a state that has faced a series of challenges amid the administration's aggressive immigration crackdown.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.