NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Republican and Democratic candidates vying to replace outgoing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz clashed in their final debate Wednesday over the massive fraud scandal that has unfolded in the state, health care and rising gas prices. MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL “A vote for Amy Klobuchar is a vote for a third term for Tim Walz,” Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth said in her opening remarks after describing Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar as the “status quo” candidate in a “state in crisis” over the $9 billion fraud scandal. Klobuchar backpedaled in her opening speech, saying, “I don’t like the status quo, I hate the status quo.” WALZ’S ‘EXIT INTERVIEW’ REFLECTING ON HIS TENURE STARTS LAWMAN’S DEBATE OVER HIS LEGACY: ‘NEVER SERIOUS’ Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announces he would not seek re-election on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. At a news conference at the state Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, Walz said he “came to the conclusion that I can’t give it my all in one political campaign”. The governor did not answer questions from reporters at the event. The governor’s announcement comes as Minnesota faces one of the largest social services fraud scandals in its history. Federal prosecutors have documented hundreds of millions of dollars worth of fraud in state autism services, housing and feeding programs, among others. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images) The first question of the debate focused on fraud, a recurring theme throughout the night, and what each candidate would do to combat it. “Unchecked fraud here in the state of Minnesota has gone on for far too long and has finally come to the surface,” Demuth said. “What I will do on day one is fire all commissioners, elect new commissioners who are experts in their field, who will bring about the accountability and transparency that is needed in our state. We have to change the culture of fraud.” Klobuchar attempted to distance herself from Walz by addressing the issue. “Fraud is simply unacceptable and as a former prosecutor, I am going to send those fraudsters to jail,” Klobuchar said. “Tim Walz should have caught the fraud sooner and should have done more. He said it himself. And by the way, when my opponent references Tim Walz, I’ll say one thing. He’s not looking for a third term. I’m the one up here.” The fraud came up again later in the debate, with Demuth criticizing Klobuchar’s close relationship with Walz. “They haven’t heard my opponent differ on a bill that Tim Walz, who she calls an incredible governor, has allowed to move forward.” Demuth said. “I would love to hear a bill, an area, child care, fraudulent financing. I would love to hear that. If she is specifically breaking away from Tim Walz, Tim Walz allowed child care fraud and other frauds here in the state of Minnesota to explode to $9 billion, without ever firing any of his commissioners or agency employees. But still, there is someone here tonight who is supporting everything from the incredible governor, as she has said she does.” Klobuchar responded: “Rewind the tape of this debate, please, and you’ll see exactly where I said I differed from Tim Walz.” RISE IN GASOLINE PRICES In another tense moment, the candidates turned to raising gas prices, with Klobuchar attempting to tie Demuth to the Trump administration’s policies. “I can tell you the quickest way to lower gas prices, and that is to stop this war in Iran,” Klobuchar said. “That’s it, beginning, middle and end. And when you look at what my opponent mentions, when we had a debate earlier this week, she actually mentioned and blamed the Keystone pipeline. Then she blamed health care costs on Barack Obama. I don’t know what’s next. Maybe Thomas Jefferson, but what I know is that Minnesotans understand what happened at the pump.” REPUBLICAN PREDICTS: ‘YOU WILL SEE SURPRISES’ Lisa Demuth and Amy Klobuchar faced off in their first debate on October 19. (REUTERS/Tim Evans; Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Demuth blamed high costs in Minnesota on control of the state government by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). His opponent voted against. That would have brought in 830,000 barrels of oil and would have helped the supply we have here, but he voted against it,” Demuth said. “But you have to wonder, why are things so expensive here in Minnesota? They are expensive due to excessive spending by single party control. In 2023 and 2024, I will lower prices. I will tighten the state budget and make sure that they can afford to live, that they can grow, that they can prosper and that businesses come to Minnesota to provide the jobs that are needed. It’s common sense, and that’s the decision you need to make as you look ahead to this election. this year.”HEALTH CARE COSTS AND INSULIN PRICESAs Minnesotans continue to grapple with rising health care costs, the two candidates clashed over ObamaCare, which Klobuchar voted for in the U.S. Senate. “It’s important to realize that we are looking at all the inputs and all the reasons why our health care is more expensive,” Demuth said. “Senator Klobuchar supported the Act. of Affordable Health Care. He promised he would reduce our healthcare. Unfortunately, we’ve seen all but all of our health care since the Affordable Care Act has increased the cost of health care for all Minnesotans.” Klobuchar did not address ObamaCare in her response, instead pointing out Demuth’s position on abortion and accusing the Republican of being beholden to Big Pharma. “My opponent has told her that I don’t support certain things in health care, she’s talking about issues that are already resolved,” Demuth said. “I think it’s very empowering to hear that fact. that she was the one who broke the health care system with the deciding vote on the Affordable Care Act.” During the health care discussion, Klobuchar argued that Demuth hasn’t done enough to lower insulin prices and cited the support she received from the family of Alex Smith, a 26-year-old Minnesota resident who died while struggling to pay for his insulin treatments. “Just to clear up a very incorrect or false lie that you just heard was the fact that I voted Yes on the insulin bill. by Alex Smith,” Demuth responded. “In April 2020. The governor signed it into law the next day.” CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP The sun shines on the Minnesota State Capitol on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, in St. Paul, on the opening day of the 2024 session of the Minnesota Legislature. Lawmakers have a relatively modest agenda ahead of them after a momentous session of 2023 in which Democrats used their newly acquired full control of the House of Representatives to enact an ambitious list of their priorities (Steve Karnowski/Associated Press) Klobuchar, who was first elected to the Senate in 2006, won all four of her Senate elections by healthy margins, including her 2024 re-election by nearly 16 points. Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar was twice elected prosecutor of Hennepin County, the. Most populous in Minnesota. He also ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Demuth, who was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018, has served as House Republican Party leader since early 2023 and as speaker for the past year and a half. AndrewMark.Miller@fox.com.
