Tim Walz has had an outstanding political career, serving six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and currently serving his second term as governor of Minnesota. Before Monday, Jan. 5, Walz was considered a strong contender for a third term as governor; if elected, it would have been a historic record.
In a heavily blue state that has seen the Republican party win only three times since 1932, Walz’s approval rating has surprisingly fluctuated between the mid-40s and low 50s. In 2020, Walz enjoyed a relatively average approval rating of around 65% but that number has slowly declined to 48% as of December 2025.
The largest factor in Walz’s decision to drop out of the re-election was a major fraud scandal that had been going on since COVID-19 relief funds were created. Over the years,$9 billion in taxpayer dollars have been squandered away from Medicaid relief and other non-profits such as Feeding Our Future.
This case not only looks bad on Walz’s record, but it is also allegedly forcing him to spend more time than he has on trying to clean it up. In his speech announcing his decision not to seek re-election on Monday, Walz said he believed he would win a third term but did not feel he had enough time to build a coherent campaign or remain fully transparent while managing the crisis.
On the Republican side, several candidates have emerged to run for governor, including House Speaker Lisa Demuth and state Rep. Kristin Robbins, among others. On the Democrat side, there are only two candidates who have shown an interest in running for governor: Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy.
Klobuchar has represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate since 2007 and has consistently won her elections. Klobuchar has a good chance of winning the gubernatorial race, but that leaves her Minnesota Senate seat open. With Sen. Tina Smith also announcing she would not seek re-election in February of 2025, that means two previously Democratic seats are up for election.
Erin Murphy was in the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2013 and 2014 and is currently the Minnesota House majority leader. She beat Walz for DFL support in 2018 but lost to him in the election and has strong support from the Minnesota Nurses Association.
With only a couple of candidates who have the necessary experience to lead Minnesota, there needs to be more people in future generations who can step into positions and fill the gaps left by retiring veterans.
Minnesota needs Democrats to hold the state if it is to be able to hold out against the illegal actions of the federal government and to keep Minnesotans safe in what they deem a sanctuary city. Klobuchar would be a strong representative of Minnesota but then that leaves more empty seats that can be occupied by Republicans.
