Tim Walz Drops Out Of Minnesota Governor’s Race

Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2024, abandoned his campaign for a third term as governor of Minnesota.

Walz had announced last fall his plans to seek another term.

But a fraud scandal over the state’s welfare reemerged as a primary election issue in recent weeks, after a conservative influencer’s video went viral with claims that Somali run day care centers were illegally taking money.

Even though local outlets have countered with their own fact checks of the viral video, it has led to federal funding for child care in the state being frozen. Donald Trump and Republicans have sought to pin the blame for the scandal on Walz, even though he has not been accused of wrongdoing.

“For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of the 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 this crisis,” Walz said in a statement.

Walz said that as he reflected on the race over the holidays, he “came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all.”

“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 was a relative unknown on the national stage when Kamala Harris picked him to be her running mate in the last presidential election. Unlike Harris, who decided against a bid for California governor this year, Walz decided to forge ahead on his own political career. The last figure to seek more than two terms, Rudy Perpich, was defeated in 1990 by Arne Carlson, who was designated as the replacement candidate just days before the election after the Republican nominee dropped out due to a scandal. Democrats have held the governorship in the state since 2011.

The New York Times reported that Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has expressed interest in running for the governorship, along with Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon. There is a large field of GOP candidates seeking the office, including state House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow.

More to come.