Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced on Monday that he would not seek a third term as the chief executive of the North Star state.
The popular Democrat and former vice presidential candidate’s shocking announcement came amid an unfurling scandal around social services fraud in Minnesota. In his statement, Walz painted his decision to not seek reelection as a question of priorities. The governor said a re-election campaign would take time and energy needed to fight a conservative push to paint the state as overrun with fraudsters, particularly in the Somali-American communities in the Twin Cities.
“For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state’s generosity. And even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis,” Walz said.
The administration of President Donald Trump has used the claims of fraud, boosted by a discredited viral video about daycare centers, to shut off federal funding to the progressive state. Walz name-checked the president directly in his statement, saying he wants to “take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.
“I won’t mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies … want to make our state a colder, meaner place. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors,” he said. “They’ve already begun by taking our tax dollars that were meant to help families afford child care. And they have no intention of stopping there.”
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Walz announced his intention to seek re-election in 2026 in September. He maintained in his statement that he had “every confidence” he would win if he was on the ballot.
“But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all,” he said. “Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.”
Walz couched his decision as a way of putting the people of Minnesota first.
“I didn’t run for this job so I could have this job. I ran for this job so I could do this job. Minnesota faces an enormous challenge this year. And I refuse to spend even one minute of 2026 doing anything other than rising to meet the moment. Minnesota has to come first – always,” he said.
