Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ends reelection bid amid welfare fraud scandal

By Jeff Zeleny, CNN

(CNN) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Monday that he is dropping his reelection bid for a third term as a welfare-fraud scandal in his state has intensified and become a political flashpoint seized upon by President Donald Trump.

“I can’t give a political campaign my all,” Walz said in a statement. “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, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024, reached his decision after spending the weekend discussing his plans with friends and advisers. He met with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Sunday, two people familiar with the matter told CNN, as the Democratic senator decides whether to jump into the governor’s race.

Klobuchar, who was reelected to a fourth term in 2024, has been “getting a lot of outreach, encouraging her to run,” a person close to her told CNN, and is “seriously considering it.” Klobuchar did not respond to a request for comment about her meeting with Walz.

She is a former prosecutor in Minneapolis and serves in Senate leadership, but over the years has privately expressed interest in being governor and serving as a chief executive. The senator sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

For Walz, 61, the announcement capped a rapid rise – and fall – on the national scene after former Vice President Kamala Harris selected him to be her running mate during their abbreviated presidential race. He relished in the role of attack dog, with his blistering critiques of Trump becoming a soundtrack for Democrats during the campaign.

A deepening federal probe into a fraud scandal in Minnesota complicated Walz’s bid for an unprecedented third term. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but Republicans have sought to blame Walz and Democrats for the massive abuse of taxpayer dollars.

It was the relentless recent criticism from the Trump administration and right-wing allies that Walz said contributed to his decision not to seek reelection.

“For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state’s generosity,” Walz said in his statement. “And even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis.”

Walz had been criticized for his administration’s oversight of the welfare programs. Several Democrats in the state privately cautioned Walz against seeking reelection as outrage intensified in Minnesota and beyond over the misuse of funds.

Minnesota officials have until January 9 to provide the Trump administration with information about providers and parents who receive federal funds for child care.

The Trump administration’s demands are the latest step in a yearslong saga that started with investigations into theft of government funds in Minnesota under the Biden administration.

In his statement announcing his decision, Walz took aim at President Donald Trump, accusing him of seeking to politicize the scandal by attacking the Somali population in Minnesota.

“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,” he said. “They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors.”