It's official. Minnesota's scandal-plagued Democrat governor, Tim Walz, will not be seeking reelection.
RedState's Rusty Weiss reported earlier Monday morning that rumors were swirling of an imminent Walz announcement, with pundits speculating that Walz's political future was indeed bleak after the massive fraud scandal involving the state's Somali community was blown wide open. From Rusty's reporting:
Walz has been reeling for weeks now from ongoing fraud probes plaguing Minnesota's social services programs. That alleged fraud exploded after a viral video, extensively covered here at RedState, reportedly showed empty "daycare" facilities with misspelled signs, locked doors, and no trace of children.
Numerous daycares in the 42-minute video from independent videographer Nick Shirley—which has been viewed over 137 million times—appear to not be operational, despite millions in taxpayer funds flowing to them.
The Associated Press is now confirming that the speculation is true, quoting the embattled governor as saying he “can’t give a political campaign" his all after an “extraordinarily difficult year for our state.”
BREAKING from AP: Tim Walz, Democrats' 2024 VP candidate, won't run for a third term as Minnesota governor https://t.co/mbax9n9a8F
— Cameron Arcand (@cameron_arcand) January 5, 2026
Walz says he took some over Christmas – just as the realities of the Somali fraud scandal were being exposed by independent journalist Nick Shirley – to consider his political future and decided to drop out of the race.
“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.
“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 added.
“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, of course, is not to blame for the demise of his political career. It's all Donald Trump's fault. According to Walz, “Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, in St. Paul, and online – want to make our state a colder, meaner place,” Walz said, referring to the Trump administration withholding funds for the programs. “They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.”
READ MORE: Report: Tim Walz Set to Bail on 2026 MN Governor's Race As Fraud Scandal Engulfs His Administration
Speculation as to who might step in to replace Walz on the ticket seems to be narrowing in on one person: Sen. Amy Klobuchar. From AP: "A person close to Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said she is considering running for governor. The person, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Klobuchar has not made a final decision."
Walz is expected to hold a press conference Monday at 11 a.m. local time.
Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the truth about corrupt politicians like Tim Walz.
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