(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who ran on the Democratic ticket to be vice president in 2024, announced Monday that he will not be seeking reelection this year.
Walz’s announcement comes as he’s mired in a massive scandal in which fraudsters—most of them Somali nationals—have been found to have stolen at least $9 billion in welfare funds.
“In September, I announced that I would run for a historic third term as Minnesota’s Governor. And I have every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort,” he said in a statement.
Minnesota has to come first – always.
Today, I’m proud of the work we’ve done to make Minnesota the best place to live and raise kids.
I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work. pic.twitter.com/AYbvcOzyPI
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 5, 2026
“But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all. 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.”
Walz had faced mounting pressure from the Trump administration and others to resign. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, for instance, demanded last month that he stepped down after discovering that at least 1,834 fraudulent college applicants in Minnesota received $12.5 million in grants and loans. These suspected fraudsters, also known as “ghost students,” use stolen identities to obtain the funds.
“Shame on you, Governor Walz, for allowing this to happen—and for benefiting from it,” McMahon wrote, seemingly referring to the political advantages noted by whistleblowers.
“Stop defrauding American taxpayers,” she added.
🚨BREAKING: Tim Walz will NOT SEEK REELECTION as governor of Minnesota:
"What a FALL FROM GRACE this was for him!"
Can you believe they wanted him as VICE PRESIDENT? pic.twitter.com/N18y0TCSmT
— Jack (@jackunheard) January 5, 2026
“Given your dereliction of the office entrusted to you by Minnesotans, I implore you to resign and make way for more capable leadership,” she wrote.
Along with the fraud scandal, questions swirled over Walz’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Federal documents released last July revealed that CCP officials were thrilled by Walz’s selection as the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024.
Before entering politics, Walz taught English in China and later organized annual trips to the country. He has openly boasted about traveling to China dozens of times.
According to testimony from a DHS whistleblower provided to the House Oversight Committee, China viewed Walz as a potential “target” and “someone they can get to D.C.”
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
