Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said Monday that he is ending his re-election bid and will not seek a third term in office.
In a press release, Walz cited heightened attention on fraud allegations in Minnesota, adding in the release that “the political gamesmanship we’re seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder to win.”
“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 later. “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,” Walz said.
The major announcement comes amid rising scrutiny of fraud allegations in the state, prompting renewed criticism from Republicans in particular.
Late last month, a video from right-wing influencer Nick Shirley went viral, alleging fraud at child care facilities in Minnesota. After the video went viral, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it would freeze all federal child care payments to the state. Days later, Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families said that investigators found the child care facilities in question “were operating as expected.”
Dozens of suspects were indicted in 2022, during the Biden administration, as part of an alleged $250 million fraud scheme with the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
A state audit report released in 2024 found that failures by the state’s Education Department led to the misuse of the Covid-era program. Some of the criminal cases related to the alleged scheme are ongoing, and several of the defendants are of Somali descent, which President Donald Trump latched onto in verbal attacks on Minnesota’s Somali community.
Walz announced in September that he would seek a third term in office. He was elevated to a national profile when he ran as then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
Phil Helsel, Julia Ainsley and Raquel Coronell Uribe contributed.