Jan. 6, 2026:
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Had history turned out differently, Tim Walz might be about to begin his second year as vice president. Instead, the Minnesota governor is thinking about going back to teaching geography.
“What I’m really good at is, I’m a really good geography teacher,” Walz said with a laugh at a press conference Tuesday (Jan. 6, 2026). “I think that’s something where I would find the joy in, in getting back in there, trying to teach.”
Before Walz ran for Congress and later governor, he was a teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School in southern Minnesota.
Walz’s political future looked bright in 2024 when his legislative successes and folksy image helped entice Kamala Harris to choose him as her running mate. Though they lost, Walz was still seen as a rising star within the Democratic Party — even a possible presidential candidate for 2028.
But Walz, who has come under fire for failing to prevent massive fraud in government programs on his watch, on Monday abandoned his quest for a third term as governor.
He told reporters Tuesday that he doesn’t know what his future holds, except that he plans to run some marathons and defend the title that he won in his age division in a shorter “Turkey Trot” race on Thanksgiving. He said he also expects to be tied up for the next year with trying to fight off the Trump administration’s targeting of Minnesota, including a surge of federal officers into the state.
“Look, I got a year of work to do here. I think it will be the most challenging year, and that includes probably COVID,” he said, referring to how he spent much of 2020 leading the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. “I caution Minnesotans, this is going to get worse before it gets better. … For me, I’m going to do this work.”
Walz also highlighted one of his proudest accomplishments in office, the Jan. 1 launch of a paid family and medical leave program, which the Legislature passed in 2023 after Democrats took full control of the statehouse for two years.
Walz and his allies used the relatively rare break in Minnesota’s usual pattern of divided government to eliminate nearly all abortion restrictions enacted by Minnesota Republicans, protect gender-affirming care for transgender youth and legalize recreational marijuana. The list of Democratic priorities they enacted also included free school meals for all students and gun safety measures.
Dan Hofrenning, a political scientist at St. Olaf College, said he thinks the end of Walz’s candidacy for governor is probably the end of his career in elected office.
“One never says never on political futures, but two-term governor, vice presidential candidate, that’s a pretty good run,” Hofrenning said. “And at the end of that run, pulling out of the race is a recognition that he had some strong political vulnerabilities.”
Had Walz lost, Hofrenning said, his reputation would have been further tarnished. But Walz now has the chance to move into an “elder statesman role,” he said. Walz could be a potential cabinet secretary or ambassador if a Democrat wins the 2028 presidential race, he said.
University of Minnesota political scientist Larry Jacobs wasn’t ready to write Walz off just yet. He said the governor is a “very talented politician who brings some unique skill sets” to the Democratic Party.
“After you pull out like this, it’s easy to say ‘no future’ because he’s going out on a downer, and it looks like he has his tail between his legs, but I think that might be shortsighted,” Jacobs said. “There could be a spot in a year or two when this has blown over a bit and he’s got an opportunity, perhaps, to run for U.S. Senate.”
But Jacobs isn’t sure that becoming a cabinet secretary is in the cards for Walz.
“I think his stay in the national scene as a VP candidate didn’t leave him in high standing,” Jacobs said. “There’s a real perception of him as kind of out of his league.”
Walz earns about $127,000 a year as governor and has listed his main assets as his pension and other retirement plans. A Wall Street Journal analysis in 2024 put his and his wife’s net worth at $800,000. Forbes went higher with an estimate of just over $1 million, but said he was “the least wealthy politician on a major party ticket” that election cycle.
“He’s going to need employment. Maybe he finds himself a new niche, maybe in the foundation world,” Jacobs said. “But I don’t think this is a guy who’s going to retire in the near future.”
Jan. 5, 2025:
ST PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats’ 2024 candidate for vice president, is ending his bid for a third term as governor amid President Donald Trump’s relentless focus on a fraud investigation into child care programs in the state.
Less than four months after announcing his reelection campaign, Walz said Monday (Jan. 5, 2026) that he could no longer devote the energy necessary to win another term, even as he expressed confidence that he could win.
Walz said in a statement Monday that he “can’t give a political campaign my all” after what he described as an “extraordinarily difficult year for our state.”
“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.”
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is considering running for governor, according to a person close to her. The person, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Klobuchar has not made a final decision.
Around a dozen Republicans are already in the race. They include MyPillow founder and chief executive Mike Lindell, an election denier who is close to Trump. They also include Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring; Dr. Scott Jensen, a former state senator from Chaska who was the party’s 2022 candidate; state Rep. Kristin Robbins, of Maple Grove; defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor Chris Madel; former executive Kendall Qualls; and former Minnesota GOP Chair David Hann.
Walz is a military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.
Vice President Kamala Harris picked Walz as her running mate after his attack line against Trump and his running mate, then-Ohio Sen. JD Vance — “These guys are just weird” — spread widely.
Walz had been building up his national profile since his and Harris’ defeat in November. He was a sharp critic of Trump as he toured early caucus and primary states. In May, he called on Democrats in South Carolina to stand up to the Republican president, saying, “Maybe it’s time for us to be a little meaner.”
Through two terms as governor, Walz has moved a liberal agenda through a closely divided legislature. In his first term, he navigated a Democratic-led House and a Republican-controlled Senate that resisted his proposals to use higher taxes to boost money for schools, health care and roads. But he helped broker compromises.
He used the office’s emergency power during the COVID-19 pandemic to shutter businesses and close schools, prompting Republican pushback.
Republicans also were critical of Walz over what they saw as his slow response to sometimes violent unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.
In his second term, Walz worked with Democratic majorities in both legislative chambers to chart a more liberal course in state government, aided by a huge budget surplus. Minnesota eliminated nearly all of the state abortion restrictions enacted in the past by Republicans, protected gender-affirming care for transgender youth and legalized the recreational use of marijuana.
That, combined with Walz’s rural background and experience representing southern Minnesota in Congress, landed him on cHarris’ radar as she considered potential running mates in her 2024 presidential bid. After a whirlwind search, she opted for Walz over other candidates including North Carolina’s Roy Cooper, Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Walz got a warm welcome from Democratic voters but drew mixed reviews for his lone debate against his Vance.
Minnesota has leaned Democratic in presidential and statewide contests in recent decades. Walz won his second term in 2022 by nearly 8 percentage points, but Trump narrowed Democrats’ advantage to less than 5 points in 2024.
Sept. 16, 2025:
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday (Sept. 16, 2025) he will seek a third term in the 2026 elections, hoping to beat the odds to become the longest-serving governor in a state where voters have usually said two terms were plenty.
In a campaign video posted on YouTube, Walz said he’s running because his work is not done and he wants to make Minnesota a place where everyone has a chance to succeed.
“I’ve seen how we help each other through the hard times,” he said. “And boy, we’ve seen terrible times this year. I’m heartbroken and angry about the beautiful people we lost to gun violence. But it’s in these moments we have to come together. We can’t lose hope because I’ve seen what we can do when we work together.”
Vice President Kamala Harris picked Walz as her running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket after his attack line against former President Donald Trump and his running mate, then-Ohio Sen. JD Vance — “These guys are just weird” — spread widely.
Walz had been building up his national profile since their defeat in November. He was a sharp critic of Trump as he toured early caucus and primary states. In May, he called on Democrats in South Carolina to stand up to Trump, saying, “Maybe it’s time for us to be a little meaner.”
“I’ve always tried to do what’s right for Minnesota, and I’ll never stop fighting to protect us from the chaos, corruption, and cruelty coming out of Washington,” Walz said in his announcement.
Walz, 61, has been frequently mentioned as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, but he told Axios in July he would not run for president if he sought reelection.
His close political ally, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, was assassinated in June by a man posing as a police officer. Walz delivered a eulogy at her funeral. Trump refused to call Walz to offer condolences, saying it would have been a waste of time.
Walz and Minnesota mourned again late last month when two children were killed and 21 people were injured in a shooting at a Minneapolis church where students from an affiliated school were celebrating Mass.
Walz then said he would call a special session of the Legislature to pass school and gun safety laws, but he has not set a date yet, nor proposed specific legislation for it. He said in his announcement Tuesday that one of his priorities is to “get serious about gun violence.”
Walz’s run for the vice presidency introduced the former high school teacher with a “Midwest Dad” image to a wider, national audience. But it also brought new scrutiny of his record as governor and as a congressman before that, and his tendency to embellish or exaggerate details and mangle his words.
He proudly touted the accomplishments of the 2023 legislative session, when Democrats used their full control to enact a sweeping platform of liberal priorities, including free school meals for all students, and expanded protections for abortion and transgender rights.
But he also faced renewed criticism from the right for his handling of the unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 and a $300 million pandemic food aid fraud case. Republicans are sure to use that case and newer revelations of fraud in other state-run programs against him in 2026.
Minnesota’s most prominent GOP office-holder, U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, was among the Republicans on Tuesday who highlighted fraud under Walz’s watch.
“Walz is a proven failure,” Emmer said in a statement. “Instead of boasting about a strong economy, great schools, or safe streets, the only thing Minnesotans can tout is the fact that Walz allowed the nation’s largest taxpayer-funded COVID program fraud to occur under his watch.”
No Minnesota governor has won a third consecutive term since the state switched to four-year terms in 1963. But no Minnesota Republican has won a statewide race since Tim Pawlenty was reelected to a second term as governor in 2006.
On the Republican side of the race, former business executive and Army veteran Kendall Qualls announced his candidacy in May and hopes to become Minnesota’s first Black governor. Qualls lost the GOP endorsement in 2022 to family physician and former state senator Scott Jensen, who announced in July that he’s running again.
The only current GOP office-holder in the race so far is state Rep. Kristin Robbins, of Maple Grove, who chairs a House committee formed this year to investigate fraud in government programs. She announced her candidacy Aug. 20.
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