Gov. Tim Walz faces tough political reality as he seeks to assert himself in final year in office

Gov. Tim Walz is embracing his lame-duck status heading into his last session at the Minnesota Capitol: issuing executive orders, speaking frankly about his adversaries and vowing to fight hard for his policy agenda.

Walz said he is prepared to take “some difficult positions” as he seeks new gun restrictions, anti-fraud measures and relief for businesses after Operation Metro Surge. While he said he hopes to work across party lines, he said he’s ready to turn up the pressure on Republicans if needed.

“I’m pretty freed up to do what needs to be done here without concern about November,” Walz told reporters on Tuesday, Feb. 17. “And I think that’s a powerful tool.”

But the DFL governor’s final-year ambitions face tough odds in the most closely divided Legislature in state history. Republicans in the tied Minnesota House are already signaling opposition to new gun restrictions and skepticism about giving money to businesses hurt by the federal immigration crackdown.

Walz’s tepid relationship with Republican legislators could also complicate his attempts to win support for his agenda. GOP lawmakers have said Walz has rarely engaged with them over the years, and that hasn’t changed since he announced he won’t run again.

“I have not heard or talked to the governor since Sept. 30,” House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said on Monday, Feb. 16.

The 2026 session will be Walz’s final chance to firm up his legacy after eight years of largely responding to crises in the state. In his two terms as governor, Walz has taken a more hands-off approach to the Legislature than some of his predecessors. But he’s indicated he will be more assertive after dropping his bid for re-election last month.

He’s also pledged to push for new firearm limits, including bans on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, after the August mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. He told reporters last month that Republicans “are going to take votes on protecting our children or they’re not going to get anything else done.”

House GOP Floor Leader Harry Niska, of Ramsey, dismissed the prospects for new gun restrictions at a news conference earlier in the week, saying such proposals would likely be struck down in court on constitutional grounds if passed.

“We should not be going down the road of things that are not going to work legally,” Niska said, adding that House Republicans would rather discuss how to improve school safety.

Walz also is seeking $10 million in one-time emergency relief for small businesses recovering from Operation Metro Surge. Demuth noted Monday that some DFL politicians called for businesses to briefly shut down as part of an economic strike during the immigration operation.

“That is a choice,” said Demuth, who is running for governor, of the decision for some businesses to shut down in protest.

He said he will soon propose more anti-fraud measures and is willing to sign a bill creating an independent Office of Inspector General to investigate fraud if it reaches his desk. The Senate passed a bipartisan bill to create the office last year, but the measure did not clear the House despite support from GOP members.

“If the Republicans want to fix fraud, this is their moment,” he said.

GOP lawmakers may be wary about working with Walz on the issue, however, since they have made fraud a central theme of their election campaigns and argued the governor is responsible for letting the problem fester.

State Sen. Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato, said he expects Walz to collaborate well with legislators in his final year. If there are any roadblocks, Frentz said, they probably will arise from the politically tied House.

“I hope you’ll see legislators show up ready to do their job and not holding back on getting our work done because it’s an election year,” he said.

“To be candid, I kind of feel like their campaigns ended the same day mine did,” Walz said. “So I think all three of us, if you say it’s [state Rep.] Kristin Robbins, Demuth and myself, we’re kind of all in the same boat. I think for all of us, this will be our last session.”

Walz also shut down the idea of him being appointed to serve the remainder of Klobuchar’s U.S. Senate term if she is elected governor, saying he would rather “eat glass.”

The election-year dynamic at the Capitol could affect legislative negotiations, Walz said, but he argued it’s in the GOP’s best interest to work with him rather than do nothing on fraud or other important issues.

After the upheaval Minnesota has experienced over the past year, Walz said “the rest of the country is going to be watching.” But he said he remains confident the narrowly divided Legislature can come together, pointing to last year’s budget agreement.