Tim Walz, Democrats’ 2024 VP nominee, won’t run for a third term as Minnesota governor

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Monday abruptly ended his reelection bid, bowing out under mounting criticism tied to a sweeping fraud scandal that has rattled the state.

The decision marks a stunning turn of events for Mr. Walz. Just 14 months ago, he was in the running to be the next vice president of the United States.

Now the Democratic governor is stepping aside, saying that the fallout from fraud allegations involving Somali‑run day care centers has created a crisis that demands his full attention — and that President Trump and his allies are only making the situation worse.

“I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work,” Mr. Walz said Monday morning in a statement. “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.”

Mr. Walz insisted that his administration has been — and will remain — focused on rooting out fraud.

But he argued that “political gamesmanship” by Republicans is making that job harder. He accused Mr. Trump and his allies of trying to divide Minnesotans and undermine what he described as the state’s core strengths.

“They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors,” he said. “And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.”

His exit immediately lifted Republican hopes.

The party hasn’t won a statewide race in Minnesota since 2006, when then‑Gov. Tim Pawlenty narrowly secured a second term.

Mr. Walz had been the clear favorite heading into the race.

At 61, he carried a national profile after serving as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential campaign.

His performance drew mixed reviews, including his lone debate with then‑Sen. J.D. Vance, who many observers said outmatched him on stage.

Mr. Walz briefly flirted with a 2028 presidential run before shelving the idea and launching his bid for a third term as governor last fall.

He launched his bid days after an attack on Democratic state lawmakers that killed the former speaker of the Minnesota House. Mr. Walz cast himself as a bulwark against what he called “chaos, corruption and cruelty coming out of Washington.”

But that message has been drowned out by the fraud scandal that erupted when prosecutors charged dozens of people with stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from a pandemic‑era program meant to feed children.

Federal prosecutors say the schemes have produced 59 convictions and may have siphoned off as much as $1 billion. Many of the defendants come from Minnesota’s Somali community.

Mr. Trump and Republicans have hammered Mr. Walz and Democrats over the scandal, questioning how such widespread fraud could have occurred under their watch.