Senator Amy Klobuchar is running against Republican Royce White for the US Senate seat

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota voters will decide Tuesday whether Republican Royce White will replace the incumbent Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar in the race for the US Senate.

Klobuchar is seeking a fourth term. She won her last two elections by large margins over her Republican challengers.

White became the Republican nominee in what political pundits said was a battle for the soul of the Minnesota Republican Party. Joe Fraser was originally considered the frontrunner but was stunned when White won the party's nomination at the GOP convention in May. While he initially gave in, Fraser backed down and renewed his fight against White.

Several establishment Republicans took the unprecedented step of publicly supporting Fraser after his defeat in the caucus, including former senators Rudy Boschwitz and Norm Coleman and former Gov. Pawlenty.

The candidates

Klobuchar was born in Plymouth and worked in law firms in Minneapolis before being elected Hennepin district attorney in 1998. When she was elected in 2006, she became Minnesota's first female U.S. senator.

Klobuchar won her re-election in 2012 by more than 30 points and her 2018 bid by more than 20 points.

She applied for her party's candidacy 2020 presidential election with a speech delivered in the middle of a Midwest snowstorm, but finally withdrew from the race on the eve of Super Tuesday This year, President Joe Biden solidified his support and was ultimately named the nominee.

White joined the Gophers after being crowned Minnesota's Mr. Basketball in 2009 for leading the undefeated Hopkins boys' basketball team. However, he left the University of Minnesota just a few months into his first semester plead guilty to misdemeanor and theft in connection with an incident at the Mall of America. Shortly afterward, he was accused of stealing a laptop from a subway dorm, but no charges were filed. White then went to Iowa State and helped lead his team to the NCAA Tournament in 2012.

He briefly played for the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings, but problems with an anxiety disorder and fear of flying led to a quick exit from the NBA. Despite his difficulties, He was applauded for starting a league-wide conversation about mental health.

He played two seasons in the NBL Canada before, among other things, short-lived foray into MMA fighting. He currently plays in the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league.

White tried to fight it Ilhan Omar, Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota in 2022 but lost the Republican primary to Cicely Davis.

Key topics

According to White's campaign website, his top three priorities are the border, the debt and “forever wars.” White says the three are connected.

Klobuchar told WCCO her top priorities are “lowering prices for consumers, creating economic opportunity across our state, protecting our fundamental freedoms and keeping people safe.”

While Klobuchar says she supports codifying Roe v. Wade in federal law, White advocates for individual states to decide their abortion laws.