Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Tuesday defeated Republican challenger Royce White, winning her fourth six-year term in the Senate.
The Minnesota senator has achieved high popularity since she was first elected in 2006, easily defeating her previous two Republican challengers with more than 60% of the vote. With more than two-thirds of precincts reporting Tuesday night, Klobuchar had opened up a 14 percentage point lead over White.
White, a former professional basketball player and Black Lives Matter protester, is Klobuchar’s most unconventional challenger yet. He’s a political novice and provocateur who’s an ally of Republican strategist and media executive Steve Bannon, who was recently released from jail. He first ran in the Republican primary for Minnesota’s Fifth District in 2022.
Klobuchar hasn’t been on the ballot since 2018, two years before her unsuccessful presidential campaign. The United States has become increasingly polarized since she last ran for re-election.
A former Hennepin County prosecutor, Klobuchar pitched herself as a pragmatist, someone who’s worked with Republicans throughout her career to lower prescription drug prices, help veterans and advocate for more housing and child care.
A Minnesota Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 poll conducted in mid-September found Klobuchar held a 51% to 40% lead over White among likely voters. Klobuchar has outraised and outspent White by significant margins. The senator had nearly $4.3 million cash on hand as of Oct. 16, according to her federal campaign finance report, while White reported about $80,000.
Control of the U.S. Senate is up for grabs, with 34 of the chamber’s 100 seats up for election. Democrats currently control the chamber, and Klobuchar serves as chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. She also serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee and has said she wants to finish the bipartisan farm bill this year.

The two candidates disagreed substantially on major issues.