Walz-era fraud scandal takes center stage as Klobuchar, GOP rival clash in debate: 'Why didn't you do more?'

Democratic Sen.

Amy Klobuchar and Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth traded fire over Minnesota's massive fraud scandal as they faced off for the first time on the debate stage in the race to replace embattled Gov.

Tim Walz.

The race is unfolding against the backdrop of the state's welfare assistance fraud scandal, which has attracted national attention for nearly a year and prompted Walz, a two-term Democrat, to abandon his 2026 re-election bid.

The fraud schemes, involving pandemic-era social services, siphoned hundreds of millions, and potentially billions, of taxpayer dollars from federal and state programs in Minnesota.

Demuth is aiming to become the first Republican in twenty years to win a gubernatorial election in the blue-leaning Midwestern state.

Polls indicate Klobuchar holding an upper single digit lead over Demuth, and the Fox News Power Rankings rate the race Likely Democrat.

Demuth, during the first half of the debate, repeatedly steered the conversation to the fraud scandal.

FRAUD EXPERT EXPOSES HOW HIDDEN NETWORKS DROVE MINNESOTA FRAUD "We have allowed a culture of waste and fraud to go on far too long and we can’t keep going this way," she said, as she worked to link Klobuchar to Walz, who has taken full responsibility for the scandal.

"Klobuchar, referring to Walz, said, "I have been very clear.

I would have caught that fraud.

I would have done something about it.

We have very different backgrounds." Demuth asked her rival, "You could have reached out to the governor and said I think we have a problem in Minnesota...

Why didn't you do more." And Demuth asked, "Why weren’t you at the hearings about fraud in your own Senate Judicial Committee hearing when we had Minnesotans who were concerned about fraud." FORMER NFL SIDELINE REPORTER PUTS MINNESOTA'S SENATE SEAT IN PLAY FOR REPUBLICANS Klobuchar, pushing back, highlighted that "the minute that the fraud went public, I did something that was real…..