Matt Schlapp told Newsmax on Thursday that Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar's decision to run for governor of Minnesota speaks less about state politics and more about a broken Congress.
On "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," the Conservative Political Action Conference chair framed Klobuchar's gubernatorial bid as a blunt criticism of Washington's inability to function.
Schlapp noted that Klobuchar is not a freshman figure looking for relevance, but a nationally known Democrat with seniority and influence.
"Well, I think what's interesting is she's an important senator," he said.
That prominence, Schlapp argued, makes her interest in leaving Washington especially telling. Rather than climbing further in congressional leadership, she appears to be looking elsewhere for meaningful authority.
"I think what you're seeing more and more from people who get elected to the Senate or the House is there's not much of a job there," Schlapp said, suggesting lawmakers increasingly find the work hollow.
According to Schlapp, Congress has narrowed its role to high-stakes showdowns that rarely produce results.
"Now they have to figure out how to fund [the] government, which they're not very good at," he said of federal lawmakers. "But beyond that, there's not much there."
That reality, he said, explains why a governorship may look more appealing to Klobuchar than another Senate term.
"I think it's a little bit of an indictment, I believe, on Congress to have somebody so prominent on the other side of the aisle go back and want to run for governor," Schlapp said.
He portrayed Klobuchar's move as part of a broader pattern of lawmakers seeking executive power at the state level, where decisions translate more directly into outcomes.
Schlapp also tied her run to Minnesota's growing national importance, calling the state a testing ground for political divisions shaping the country.
"It also shows you that Minnesota is kind of the center of the action in the country," he said.
Schlapp described a stark contrast between the Twin Cities area and the rest of the state.
"Minneapolis–St. Paul is a very radicalized city, and then it's surrounded by a lot of suburbs and agricultural areas that probably like what Trump is doing," he said, referring to the president's ongoing immigration enforcement operations.
Those divisions, Schlapp argued, create an environment where a state executive can wield real influence — unlike senators constrained by gridlock.
But he questioned whether Klobuchar's senatorial record has prepared her to bring unity to the North Star State.
"I'm not sure Amy Klobuchar is the solution," Schlapp said.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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