Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar faces Republican Royce White on Tuesday

Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar could head back to Washington for another six-year term if she defeats Republican challenger Royce White in Tuesday’s general election.

The third-term Minnesota senator has achieved high popularity since she was first elected in 2006, easily beating her previous two Republican challengers with more than 60% of the vote. 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 Steve Bannon.

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.

Tuesday’s election will show whether Klobuchar’s appeal still reaches across party lines. She hasn’t been on the ballot since 2018, two years before her unsuccessful presidential campaign. The country has become increasingly polarized since Klobuchar last ran for re-election to the Senate.

Klobuchar has 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. White has portrayed himself as a disrupter of the status quo, saying he’s running for the Senate to “close the border, pay back the debt and stop getting involved in forever wars.” He is the first Black candidate to be endorsed by a major party in Minnesota for U.S. Senate.

Klobuchar has outraised and outspent White by significant margins. The senator had nearly $4.3 million in 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 on Tuesday, 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.

Two third-party candidates for U.S. Senate are also on the ballot: Joyce Lacey of the Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota and Rebecca Whiting of the Libertarian Party.