Politics
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Will Not Seek Reelection Following Unsuccessful VP Run
Tim Walz, who was the Democratic nominee for vice president in the 2024 presidential election, will not seek a third term as the governor of Minnesota.
In a lengthy statement released Monday, January 5, the 61-year-old said he “decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.”
“I won’t mince words here,” Walz said. “Donald Trump and his allies — in Washington, in St. Paul, and online — want to make our state a colder, meaner place. 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 alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, tore into the Republican party and said that Minnesotans should be “concerned about fraud in our state government.”
“We’ve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating childcare funding that Minnesotans rely on,” he said. “It is disgusting. And it is dangerous. Republicans are playing politics with the future of our state. And it’s shameful.”
Walz reflected on his decision to “run for a historic third term as Minnesota’s Governor” and admitted that he rethought his choice with his family and his team over the holidays.
“I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all,” he said. “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.”
Despite Walz’s decision to not seek reelection, he said that his work will continue.
“I want Minnesotans to know that I’m on the job, 24/7, focused on making sure we stay America’s best place to live and raise kids,” he said. “No one will take that away from us. Not the fraudsters. And not the President. Not on my watch.”
In the 2024 presidential election, Walz and Harris, 61, were defeated by Trump, 79, and Vice President JD Vance, 41.
