MINNEAPOLIS (TNND) — Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced Thursday that she is running for governor of Minnesota, weeks after Gov. Tim Walz dropped out of the race amid investigations into a daycare fraud scandal.

"Minnesotans, we’ve been through a lot," Klobuchar said in a video announcing her campaign. “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 cited President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the state, federal officers killing two Minnesotans who protested, the assassination of state legislative leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, and a school shooting that killed multiple children — all within the last year.

“I believe we must stand up for what’s right and fix what’s wrong,” Klobuchar said.

Klobuchar has been an open critic of Trump and recently expressed strong opposition to a spending package that includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). If Democrats vote against the spending package and no deal is reached, it could lead to a partial government shutdown.

The senator is currently serving her fourth term and is a former local prosecutor who once ran for president in 2020.

She also gained attention after Trump's first presidency when she was among the most outspoken lawmakers during bipartisan congressional inquiries of the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. As Senate Rules Committee chair, she pressed Capitol Police, administration officials and others for details of what authorities knew beforehand and how rioters breached the Capitol.

“It’s our duty to have immediate responses to what happened,” she said after helping write a report focused not on Trump’s role but on better security protocols for the seat of Congress.

Multiple Republicans already are campaigning in what could become a marquee contest among 36 governorships on the ballot in November. Among those running for the GOP nomination are MyPillow founder and chief executive Mike Lindell, a 2020 election denier who is close to Trump; Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth; Dr. Scott Jensen, a former state senator who was the party’s 2022 gubernatorial candidate; and state Rep. Kristin Robbins.

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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.