(The Center Square) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday he will not seek a third term in 2026.
Walz was first elected to the position of Minnesota governor in 2018 after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives beginning since 2007. He ran unsuccessfully as Vice President alongside Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in 2024.
Walz decision not to seek a third term comes amidst allegations of fraud with federal dollars in Minnesota. In November, a report alleged millions of taxpayer dollars were stolen from Minnesota’s welfare system and sent to a Somali-based terror group.
Fraud allegations intensified when independent journalist Nick Shirley posted a video that claimed to reveal $110 million in fraudulent federal support sent to Minnesota day cares.
The Minnesota governor is expected to testify before Congress on Feb. 10 in response to allegations of fraud in the state.
Without an incumbent Democrat in the race for Minnesota governor, the 2026 primary election will likely be a heated contest as contestants vie for their parties nomination to the governor’s mansion.
The Republican primary for governor already includes Minnesota Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth; CEO of the pillow company MyPillow, Mike Lindell; and former state senator and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen.
Demuth criticized Walz’s decision to step down and pointed to the allegations of financial fraud plaguing the state in a post on social media.
“Democrat in Minnesota has spent years enabling criminals who stole our tax dollars, with still no meaningful accountability and no end in sight to the billions in fraud that still plagues nearly every government program imaginable thanks to 16 years of Democrat control,” Demuth wrote on social media.
Minnesota’s primary election is set for Aug. 11.
