Walz, a Democrat who rose to national prominence as Kamala Harris’s running mate in 2024, made the call just months after launching his reelection campaign.
In a statement, Walz said the storm over fraud allegations — and the partisan fights they have fueled — made it impossible to campaign effectively while governing.
“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,” he said.
“So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.”
The governor has faced intensified Republican attacks tied to probes into a scandal around the misuse of pandemic-era aid programs, including a sprawling federal case involving the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
As of late December, 92 people were charged in connection with the scandal, out of which 62 have been convicted.
Many defendants in those ongoing cases are of Somali descent — a detail that President Donald Trump seized upon to launch verbal attacks against Minnesota’s Somali community.
Trump accused Walz of being “corrupt” and alleged baselessly that he had stolen billions of dollars of public funds, in a Truth Social post on Monday that grossly mischaracterized the facts of the case.
“I feel certain the facts will come out, and they will reveal a seriously unscrupulous, and rich, group of ‘SLIMEBALLS,'” he said.
State officials say many claims have been exaggerated or debunked, but the controversy has weighed on Walz’s approval ratings and rattled Democrats heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Minnesota has not elected a Republican to statewide office since 2006, and party leaders remain bullish about holding the governorship.
Still, Walz’s vulnerabilities had drawn a growing field of potential Republican challengers and prompted quiet calls among Democrats for a reset.
His exit clears the way for a crowded Democratic contest. US Senator Amy Klobuchar is widely viewed as a possible contender, alongside state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota’s Secretary of State Steve Simon, though none has formally declared.
For Walz, a former teacher, National Guard veteran and union ally, the decision caps a meteoric rise from state politics to the national stage — and leaves Minnesota Democrats to chart their next chapter without one of their most recognizable figures.