Former state Rep. Dan Severson, Minnesota Army National Guard Capt. Pete Hegseth and first-term state Rep. Kurt Bills have all entered the race to unseat first-term Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Republicans are expected to endorse a candidate at the state convention in mid-May.

State Rep. Kurt Bills is the Minnesota Republican Party's pick to face U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the November election. The first-term Republican nabbed the endorsement to challenge the Democratic incumbent after two ballots at the Minnesota GOP Convention Friday in St. Cloud.

Captain Pete Hegseth is a Bronze Star recipient who led the national group Vets for Freedom. His campaign staff will be led by the same woman who helped Republican Chip Cravaack upset longtime Congressman Jim Oberstar two years ago.

On Friday, Republicans are expected to endorse a candidate to run against DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Three are vying for the spot: Dan Severson, Pete Hegseth and Rep. Kurt Bills. MPR News this week examined what each of the candidates proposes to do about the nation's budget deficit.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar told MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Hardball Thursday night, “I love being the Senator from Minnesota, that’s what I want to do." MinnPost reports, when Matthews pressed Klobuchar for a yes or no answer to whether she wants to be president she said, "That was a no. I couldn’t be clearer."

His campaign manager insists Republican Kurt Bills can win his challenge of Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. But Mike Osskopp concedes many of the GOP donors and strategists he talks with consider Klobuchar's re-election inevitable. Osskopp says a penchant for playing it safe and avoiding controversy is one reason for Klobuchar's popularity.

The Vice-President told donors at a Minneapolis fundraiser that Sen. Amy Klobuchar is not afraid to take tough stands on important issues, citing her support of the auto industry bailout as an example. 350 attended the event for the first-term Democrat at prices ranging from $125 to $10,000.