Less than two years after being announced as the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential nominee, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on Wednesday that he will never again seek elected office, marking a dramatic end to a political career that spanned national prominence and a bruising state-level political battle.
“I have no political consideration, I will never run for an elected office again,” Walz said. “Never again.” Asked to clarify, he added that while he would continue public service of a different sort, he would not return to the campaign trail. “There are heroes on the streets that we don’t know their names… those grass-tops leaders… brought this administration to its knees this week to do something about it. So there’s other ways to serve, and I’ll find ’em.”
The announcement capped a tumultuous political year for Walz, who just months earlier had launched a bid for a third term as Minnesota governor, a campaign that could have been historic in the state where no governor has won three consecutive terms. At the time, he touted his record and urged unity, saying, “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’s rise to national attention came in 2024, when then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate. The role elevated him to the national stage and, briefly, positioned him as a consequential voice for his party. Prior to that, Walz had spent six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected Minnesota’s 41st governor in 2018.
But Walz’s 2026 gubernatorial re-election campaign was quickly consumed by controversy amid a high-profile welfare and social services fraud scandal in Minnesota that drew national ire. Federal authorities, including the Department of Justice and GOP lawmakers, alleged widespread abuse of programs administered by nonprofit groups, a situation that President Donald Trump seized on in attacking Walz and the state’s leadership.
In early January, Walz abruptly suspended his bid for a third term, saying that campaigning would distract from addressing the fraud crisis and the broader needs of Minnesota residents.
“Every minute that I spend defending my own political interest 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,” Walz said at the time.
The upheaval was compounded by federal-state tensions over immigration enforcement. Beginning in late 2025, the Trump administration deployed ICE and Border Patrol agents to Minnesota under “Operation Metro Surge,” prompting protests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents, incidents that drew sharp rebukes from Walz and city officials and intensified political pressure.
Earlier this month when he stepped out of the race, Walz said he wanted to “focus on the work that’s in front of me for the next year” and put state interests above campaign considerations. He reiterated in this most recent statement that he “will just do the work.”
With Walz now exiting the elected political stage, the Minnesota gubernatorial field has opened up, with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) the frontrunner among Democrats jumping into the race.
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