Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz drops out of gubernatorial race : NPR

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz has ended his re-election campaign. Monday’s announcement came as President Trump, members of his administration and his supporters have exaggerated and misrepresented cases of fraud in Minnesota’s benefits programs. Walz, of course, was Kamala Harris’s running mate for vice president, and Trump has mocked him on several occasions. And the controversy surrounding fraud cases still affects the national social services network. We’re joined now by Clay Masters from Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul. Hello, Clay. Thanks for being here.

CLAY MASTERS, BYLINE: Yeah, hello. It’s good to be here.

FADEL: Walz was therefore seeking a third term. Why did he say he was giving up?

MASTERS: He says he wants to spend his final year in office fighting fraud in state programs rather than campaigning.

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TIM WALZ: I am convinced that if I gave it my all, we would win the race. But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t give my all in a political campaign.

MASTERS: During his speech yesterday, Walz defended his administration’s response to growing fraud scandals in the state’s social services programs. He also attacked Republicans for what he called political maneuvering. In a statement later published on Truth Social, President Trump claimed, without any evidence, that Walz was caught red-handed for stealing tens of billions of dollars from taxpayers. And I note, Leila, that there are no allegations of fraud against Walz, and this is money that contractors and suppliers received from employee benefit programs.

FADEL: So you and your colleagues have been covering legal cases and welfare fraud investigations in Minnesota for years. What came out in court, and why is this now the subject of national attention?

MASTERS: That’s true. Federal prosecutors say billions of dollars were stolen during Walz’s tenure. He was first elected in 2018, and more than 90 people have been charged with federal crimes and fraud, and at least 60 have been convicted. In the highest-profile case, prosecutors said contractors for a child nutrition program stole some $250 million in taxpayer money. This was in the age of COVID. The ringleader is a white woman and many of the other defendants are of Somali descent.

Recently, President Trump has been all about verbally attacking people of Somali descent in Minnesota, accusing them of fraud, calling U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and her friends trash, and saying he doesn’t want them in the United States. Now all of this comes after the holidays when a viral video from a MAGA-connected influencer accuses daycares run by Somali Americans of fraud without proof. In the video, they can be seen knocking on the doors of Minneapolis daycares and demanding to see the children.

FADEL: Yeah. So this is really scapegoating the entire Somali community in Minnesota because of the accusations or the crimes of a few.

MASTERS: That’s true.

FADEL: And now there are national implications in this state and beyond, right?

MASTERS: Yeah. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that it was freezing some federal funding intended to help many low-income families across the country pay for child care costs. And Republicans in Ohio, which also has a large Somali American population, have called for an audit of programs there. And yesterday, Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, defended his state’s programs. Republican Governor Greg Abbott yesterday ordered an investigation into the programs in Texas. Here in Minnesota, the administration has sent in more federal officials and opened investigations.

FADEL: So where do things stand now with the Minnesota gubernatorial race, given that Walz is dropping out?

MASTERS: That’s true. A long list of Republicans have already announced their candidacy. Name a few: Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, also CEO of MyPillow and Trump ally Mike Lindell. On the Democratic side, we’re hearing that Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar could enter the race. That might excite some Democrats because she’s won here four times. Re-elected for the last time only in 2024.

FADEL: This is Clay Masters from Minnesota Public Radio. THANKS.

MASTERS: You’re welcome.

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