Tim Walz says he won’t seek third term as Minnesota governor amid fraud controversy – and Amy Klobuchar could step in

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced he will not seek a third term as he grapples with widespread allegations of fraud in the state and repeated attacks from President Donald Trump.

Another prominent Democrat in the state – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar – may now enter the race.

Walz, 61, said on Monday “that I can’t give a political campaign my all” after what he characterized as an “extraordinarily difficult year for our state,” though he said he would have won if he remained in the race. Walz cited investigations into fraud in Minnesota’s childcare programs and the president’s broadsides.

“Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, in St. Paul, and online – want to make our state a colder, meaner place,” Walz said in a statement. “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.”

Walz, who ran as Kamala Harris’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election, fueled speculation that he may be dropping his 2026 re-election bid after he scheduled a news conference for Monday morning without any agenda, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

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One political insider had predicted that Walz would likely remove himself from the race, according to Fox News 9 Minneapolis, which added that the Democratic governor met with Klobuchar over the weekend to talk over the decision.

A spokesperson for Walz’s re-election campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

In recent weeks, the governor has faced mounting controversy over his response to allegations of fraud within the state’s social services programs.

Federal prosecutors announced this month that they are investigating “suspicious billing practices” in over a dozen Medicaid-funded programs, with early assessments indicating that more than $9 billion in taxpayer dollars meant to help low-income families may have been stolen, according to The New York Times. Already, about 60 people have been convicted in connection to the investigation.

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The federal investigation began in 2022, when dozens of individuals were charged with stealing funds intended to feed children during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But, the case faced renewed scrutiny, particularly from Republicans, after a conservative activist posted a video in December claiming to uncover widespread fraud in day care facilities run by Somali immigrants.

Last week, Walz praised the latest federal charges, stating that The Gopher State is overhauling its social services system.

Trump has recently attacked Walz for his handling of the investigation, describing him in a New Year’s Eve Truth Social post as “a Crooked Governor.” His administration also paused federal child care funds to the state.

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“We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters,” Walz wrote in December on X in response to the administration’s slashing of funds. “It’s a serious issue – but this has been his plan all along. He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”

The Republican president, who has frequently taken aim at the state’s Somali immigrant community, also reposted baseless conspiracy theories about Walz, including one claiming he had state Rep. Melissa Hortman killed.

“Dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States,” Walz wrote January 3 on X. “In covering for an actual serial killer, he is going to get more innocent people killed. America is better than this.”

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Walz, a former high school teacher who was first elected governor in 2018, rose to nationwide prominence after he became former vice president Kamala Harris’s running mate after Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Walz announced his re-election bid in September, following Trump’s victory in the 2024 race.

Following Walz’s announcement on Monday, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Klobuchar, who has served in the Senate for two decades, is mulling a run for the governor’s mansion.

Klobuchar is “seriously considering” tossing her hat into the ring and has been encouraged to do so, an unnamed source familiar with her thinking told the outlet.

“Minnesota’s senior U.S. senator would be a formidable opponent for Republicans hoping to win the governor’s office for the first time in 20 years,” the Star Tribune reported. “She wouldn’t say this summer whether she would consider running if Walz opted not to, saying instead that she hoped Walz would seek re-election.”

The University of Chicago Law School graduate previously ran for president in 2020. She suspended her campaign ahead of Super Tuesday and endorsed former President Joe Biden, following weak performances in early primaries.

A spokesperson for Klobuchar, who first entered the U.S. Senate in 2007, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

The race for the governor’s mansion has drawn a crowded slate of candidates, including Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and loyal Trump ally.