Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that he will no longer seek reelection for a third term. The decision comes amid scrutiny over Walz’s handling of allegations of widespread fraud in federal safety net programs in the state.
“For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state’s generosity,” Walz said at a news conference in St. Paul, Minn., on Monday, reading from an earlier statement. “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, Kamala Harris’ running mate at the top of the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, added that “Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, in St. Paul, and online – want to make our state a colder, meaner place.”
Trump recently slammed Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., over allegations of fraud schemes in the state’s federal safety net programs, specifically at child care centers in Minneapolis. Trump blamed the state’s Somali immigrant population for the alleged fraud. Omar immigrated to the United States as a refugee from Somalia. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali diaspora in the country.
The Department of Health and Human Services paused all federal child care payments to Minnesota before announcing last week that it would extend that pause to all states to investigate potential fraud.
Walz and Trump engaged in a public spat on social media over the pause, with the president calling Walz a crooked governor.
“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 at the news conference. “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.”
Walz said he is passing on the race “with zero sadness and zero regret.”
The Minnesota governor took no questions during the news conference Monday, but doubled down on his rebuke of what he called”political gamesmanship” from Republicans in the White House and the state legislature.
“We’ve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongfully confiscating funds that Minnesotans rely on,” Walz said. “It’s disgusting and it’s dangerous.”
The race to succeed Walz in the blue state comes amid a marquee contest to replace replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith in November. The New York Times first reported that Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D, is considering a gubernatorial bid.
“Senator Klobuchar is getting outreach from people encouraging her to run, and is seriously considering it,” a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Klobuchar’s potential plans told MS NOW.
During a news conference Tuesday afternoon about Minnesota’s paid family leave program, Walz said that he spoke to Klobuchar and other key Democratic allies before he announced he would end his campaign.
Several Minnesota Republicans, including state House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and a prominent election denier, announced gubernatorial bids in recent weeks.
But Walz expressed confidence Tuesday that a Democrat would win the governorship come November. He railed against Republicans for failing to condemn President Donald Trump’s reposting of a social media video that alleged Walz played a part in the murder of Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, inside their family home in June.
Federal prosecutors have charged Vance Boelter with murder in connection to the killings. The investigation did not link Walz to Boelter.
Hortman’s children, Sophie, 28, and Colin, 30, each released statements on Sunday condemning the video and pleading with Trump to apologize to their family for “using my mother’s own words to dishonor her memory.”
Walz said Tuesday that the Hortman children, along with his own family, are looking into hiring security details in the wake of the attacks from the White House.
“Republicans are going to lose races up and down the ticket, because where is their plan on health care as health care prices doubled?” Walz told reporters Tuesday. “Where is their plan to push back on the president? Again, for God’s sakes, the children of a murdered speaker, and they can’t speak up and say, ‘Mr. President, this is wrong. Stop it.’”
Klobuchar’s potential bid to succeed Walz illuminates the leadership dynamics at play in the U.S. Senate. Klobuchar has long served in Democratic leadership roles, but is not considered a favorite to replace Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., when he retires.
Ali Vitali is MS NOW's senior congressional correspondent and the host of "Way Too Early." She is the author of "Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House … Yet."
Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW.