St Paul, Minnesota – Governor of the state of Minnesota Tim Walzthe 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, is ending his bid for a third term amid President Donald Trump’s relentless focus on investigating government fraud. child care programs and its Somali community.
Less than four months after the announcement his re-election campaignWalz said Monday that the negative attention and attacks from Republicans contributed to an “extraordinarily difficult year for our state,” making it impossible for him to serve full-time as governor while also being a candidate to retain his seat.
“Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against criminals who prey on our largesse and cynics who want to prey on our differences,” Walz said at the state capitol. “So I have decided to withdraw from this race and let others take care of the election while I focus on the work ahead of me next year.”
Walz did not take questions from reporters after about seven minutes of speaking, much of which involved repeating his earlier written statement announcing his decision.
“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 funding for programs and the Republican president. attacks on Somali immigrants in Minnesota.
Walz did not specifically acknowledge the impact of a viral video from a right-wing influencer that he claimed to have found rampant fraud at day care centers run by Somali residents in Minneapolis. But the Trump administration cited the video in its decision to cut off certain federal funding streams, and the video’s creator, Nick Shirley, was happy to take note of the governor’s decision.
“I QUIT TIM WALZ,” Shirley posted on social media Monday.
Trump wrote on social media that Walz did not run “because he was caught, BACK” for “stealing tens of billions of taxpayer dollars,” an allegation against the governor that lacked evidence despite widely acknowledged fraud problems. The president said Walz “ruined the state of Minnesota.”
Candidates to replace Walz
Walz’s departure will throw off a contest in a Democratic-leaning state that Republicans have insisted they can win. Democrats hold 24 of the 50 governorship seats nationwide, with 36 seats up for election this year, including Minnesota.
Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar is considering joining the Minnesota plant, according to a person close to the company. The senator, who is running for president in 2020, has not made a final decision.
Around a dozen Republicans are already running. They include the founder and CEO of MyPillow Mike Lindellan election denier who is close to Trump. They also include Minnesota Speaker of the House Lisa Demuthfrom Cold Spring; Dr. Scott Jensena former state senator from Chaska who was the party’s 2022 candidate; State Representative Kristin Robbins of Maple Grove; defense and attorney former federal prosecutor Chris Madel; former executive Kendall Qualls; and former Minnesota GOP Chairman David Hann.
A military veteran, union supporter and former high school teacher and coach, Walz helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.
Kamala Harris chose Walz as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election his offensive line against Trump and his running mate, then-Ohio Sen. JD Vance — “These guys are just weird” — was widely circulated.
Walz has continued to build his national profile since his and Harris’ defeat in November. He was to sharp criticism Trump on his tour early committee and primary states. In May he urged the Democrats in South Carolina to stand up to a Republican president and say, “Maybe it’s time to be a little more vicious.”
There were partisan reactions to Walz’s announcement
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin, who led Minnesota Democrats when Walz was first elected governor in 2018, said Walz “came into public life for the right reasons and never lost sight of them.” Martin added that Walz’s guiding principle was to “always show up and do work that really improves their lives.”
Klobuchar, writing on X, praised Walz as a “true public servant” who made a “difficult decision” but said nothing about her own choice.
Another Minnesotan, Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, was more succinct, issuing a statement that read only, “Good forgiveness.”
At the Republican Governors Association, spokeswoman Courtney Alexander criticized Walz for “failed leadership” and said the state’s next Democratic nominee “will have to defend years of mismanagement and misplaced priorities.”
Walz stood by his stewardship, saying “one taxpayer dollar wasted on fraud should be intolerable” and insisting his administration is working diligently to address the problem.
A look at Walz’s time as governor
During his two terms, Walz navigated a closely divided legislature. In his first term, he served alongside a Democratic-led House of Representatives and a Republican-controlled Senate that resisted his proposals to use higher taxes to raise money for schools, health care and roads. But he helped mediate compromises.
He used the authority’s emergency power supply during the COVID-19 pandemic to close businesses and schools Republican resistance.
Republicans also criticized Walz for what they saw as his slow response to the sometimes violent riots that followed the killing of George Floyda black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer in 2020. Walz pleaded for calm after Floyd’s death, but stood out as a white political leader who expressed empathy for black Americans and their experiences with police violence.
In his second term, Walz worked with the Democratic majorities in both chambers of the legislature to establish a more liberal course in state administration, with the help of huge budget surplus. Minnesota eliminated almost all of them state abortion restrictions passed by Republicans in the past, gender affirming sheltered care for transgender youth and legalized recreational use of marijuana. Walz and his fellow Democrats also enacted free school meals for all students and a paid family and medical leave program that went into effect Jan. 1.
That record, combined with Walz’s rural background and experience representing southern Minnesota in Congress, put him on Harris’ radar after she replaced Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic nomination. After a stormy searchchose Walz over other candidates including Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Andy Beshear of Kentucky of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Walz received a warm welcome from Democratic voters, but drew mixed reviews against him solitary debate against Vance.
More recently, Walz has been frustrated in his efforts to enact new gun control measures following the mass shooting at Annunciation School in Minneapolis last August, which it claimed two dead children and dozens of injured. He hoped to call a special session to consider a list of gun safety proposals.
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