Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Walz looks on as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (not pictured) speaks at Howard University on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 in Washington, DC, USA. Kamala Harris called Donald Trump to concede the election to the next president, a senior aide to the vice president told Bloomberg.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz announced Monday morning that he is withdrawing his bid for re-election.
The announcement comes as Walz, who was Kamala Harris’ running mate in her failed 2024 White House bid, continues to weather intense criticism over a massive fraud scandal in the state.
“After reflecting on this moment with my family and team over the holidays, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot fully commit to a political campaign,” Walz said in a statement.
“Every minute I spend defending my own political interests cannot be spent protecting the people of Minnesota from criminals who prey on our generosity and cynics who prey on our differences,” he said.
“So I decided to withdraw from the campaign and focus on my job while leaving others to worry about the election,” the governor said.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, is considering running for governor of Minnesota in light of Walz’s withdrawal, The New York Times reported on Monday. Multiple media outlets reported that Walz and Klobuchar met over the weekend.
Walz is scheduled to hold a press conference Monday at 11 a.m. Central Time.
Walz announced in September that he will seek a third term in office. But his plans were quickly upended by damning reports about social services fraud that has blossomed in Minnesota in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic, while Walz has led the state.
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota estimated last month that the total value of the fraud scheme could be more than $9 billion, a figure Walz called “sensational.”
The scandal has focused on the state’s Somali community, where most of the people the Justice Department has charged in connection with the fraud so far are from the state.
President Donald Trump responded to fraudulent reporting with fierce anti-Somali rhetoric and launched a new attack on Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American elected to Congress.
The Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that it would freeze all federal child care payments to Minnesota.
In a statement Monday, Walz defended Minnesota’s Somalis while acknowledging that the state must address wrongdoing.
“Make no mistake about it. We should be concerned about misconduct in state government. If we can’t earn the public’s trust, we can’t effectively deliver programs and services,” Walz said, listing steps his administration has already taken.
“But the political maneuvering we’re seeing from the Republican Party is only making this fight even harder to win,” he said.
“The President of the United States is demonizing neighboring Somalia and unfairly confiscating child care funds that Minnesotans rely on.”
This is developing news. Please check back for the latest information.
