Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has announced that he will not seek re-election.
‘In September, I announced that I would run for a historic third term as Minnesota’s Governor. And I have every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort,’ Walz said in a statement issued Monday morning.
Former 2020 presidential candidate and current US Senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar, is expected to enter the gubernatorial race as the Democratic favorite, and local sources reported that Klobuchar and Walz met ahead of the governor’s announcement.
Walz also noted that he ‘came to the conclusion’ he could not give his all to a political campaign in conversations with his family and ‘team over the holidays.’
‘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.’
‘So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.’
The announcement comes as Walz has been rocked by scandal over massive fraud involving state welfare, including payments to daycares and COVID-era loans.
The majority of the defendants indicted so far come from the Somali community.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight Committee hearing with U.S. governors about state policies regarding undocumented migrants, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 12
Independent journalist Nick Shirley conducted a series of visits to Minnesota daycares and published his findings on X last month
Walz previously appeared to acknowledge some degree of fraud that existed in his state in a statement made last month.
‘This is on my watch. I am accountable for this. And more importantly, I am the one that will fix it,’ Walz said at the time.
Independent journalist Nick Shirley conducted a series of visits to Minnesota daycares that serve the Somali community, attempting to interview the operators, and published his findings on X last month.
Walz has been summoned to appear on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for a House Oversight hearing on the ‘Fraud and Misuse of Federal Funds in Minnesota.’
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, told Fox News’ Sunday Briefing that he thinks ‘it’s very likely [Walz will appear].’
‘We’ve asked not only Gov. Walz, but also Attorney General Ellison, both of whom were in Congress, who I served with in Congress, so they know the rules of Congress. They know how serious this is. This has gotten the attention of the national public… so they will have to show up and defend themselves,’ Comer added.
Walz was previously expected to run for a third consecutive term as Governor, despite his previous failed national campaign as Kamala Harris’ vice-presidential running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
Klobuchar’s entry into the Minnesota gubernatorial race would be formidable for both Democrats and Republicans alike.
Now in her third term as a U.S. senator, Klobuchar won her last election in 2024 with over 56 percent of the vote despite President Donald Trump driving GOP turnout that year.
She also won her 2018 election with over 60 percent of the vote, and her first statewide run in 2012 by over 65 percent.
