Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar Re-Elected to U.S. Senate

UNDATED -- Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar has won a second term.

Klobuchar beat state Rep. Kurt Bills and a third-party candidate in a race that was never seen as close.

Klobuchar's popularity, name recognition and big campaign fund kept big-name Republicans from stepping forward to challenge her.

Bills, a high school economics teacher and first-term state lawmaker, rode support from Ron Paul backers to become his party's nominee. But he had so little money he couldn't mount a major TV presence.

Klobuchar, a former county prosecutor, ran hard anyway. She played up several pieces of legislation she worked on with Republicans as evidence of her bipartisanship.

(Copyright 2012, The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved)