SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Jan. 5 announced he will not seek reelection, citing federal pressures and the state’s fraud scandal.
“I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work,“ Walz wrote in a statement. “I know this news may come as a surprise. But I’m passing on the race with zero sadness and zero regret. After all, I didn’t run for this job so I could have this job. I ran for this job so I could do this job.”
On Sept. 16, Walz initially announced he would seek reelection.
Monday’s announcement comes after a week when a handful of Republican state legislators released a joint statement asking him to resign. That statement was released after First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said that since 2018 at least $9 billion paid through Minnesota’s 14 Medicaid waiver programs could be fraudulent. That is about half of what was administered by the programs.
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President Donald Trump continues to mount pressure on Walz and the North Star State.
“I won’t mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies — in Washington, in St. Paul and online — want to make our state a colder, meaner place,” Walz wrote. “They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors.”
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Minnesota’s governor said the fraud dilemma is bad; however, the rhetoric around the topic is making it difficult to combat the issue.
“The political gamesmanship we’re seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder to win,” Walz wrote. “We’ve got Republicans here in the legislature playing hide-and-seek with whistleblowers. We’ve got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children.”
A mixed bag of reactions
While Walz partially blames those on the right for Minnesota’s current struggles, some Minnesotans are excited that he withdrew his reelection bid.
“Good riddance,” U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., wrote in a statement.
Some Republicans believe Walz decided to withdraw from the race because he was on track to lose, including state Rep. Kristen Robbins, R-Maple Grove, who is running to replace Walz.
“Tim Walz and his staggering fraud could not outrun our investigations and the momentum we have in this race,” Robbins wrote in a statement. “He knows he will lose in November, and would rather give up than take responsibility.”
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Meanwhile, those on the left are praising Walz for what he accomplished while in office.
“Tim banished hunger from Minnesota classrooms, signed universal background checks into law, and passed paid family leave,” state Attorney General Keith Ellison wrote. “He built a record of standing up for people who need it — from the LGBTQ+ community to working-class families to teachers and more.”
As Walz’s withdrawal takes the national stage, the Democratic Governors Association released a statement on the campaign ahead.
“No matter who decides to run or how much national Republicans want to spend, the DGA remains very confident Minnesotans will elect another strong Democratic governor this November,” DGA Chair Gov. Andy Beshear wrote in a statement.
Corey Schmidt covers politics and public safety for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Gov. Tim Walz won’t seek reelection in Minnesota
