Walz faces headwinds as he announces bid for third term as Minnesota governor

Tim Walz launched a third bid for the governor’s office on Tuesday, putting an end to months of speculation about whether he would seek another four years in the job.

Walz enters the race with more than $1 million in the bank and the power of the incumbency. But the two-term Democrat is also facing headwinds after his support has eroded in greater Minnesota.

Before he was first elected governor in 2018, Walz served six terms in Congress representing southern Minnesota.

If he prevails, Walz would become the first person in Minnesota history to win three four-year terms as governor.

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12:15 p.m. - Walz also touted passing a new child tax credit and “cutting taxes for the middle class” in his campaign video.

Walz’s website cites tax rebates for nearly 1 million Minnesotans that tallied up to $1,300 for larger families. The Legislature under Walz also eliminated a state tax on Social Security benefits for many seniors.

At one point, Walz proposed more generous tax rebates during the 2023 legislative session. GOP lawmakers also pitched much bigger rebates with the surplus.

Republicans and some Democrats advocated to fully eliminate the state tax on Social Security benefits, something Walz opposed.

That year, Democrats approved a tax plan that included roughly $4 billion in tax cuts, credits and expenditures over two years, while also raising more than $1 billion in tax increases in that time period and more later on.

Democrats hiked the state gas tax, passed a new fee on deliveries over $100 and implemented a metro-area sales tax increase to fund transit projects.

Walz’s campaign video also said Minnesota has been named “one of the best [states] for business.” The governor is citing a CNBC article that ranks Minnesota as the sixth best state for business based on 128 metrics assessed by the news outlet.

— Walker Orenstein

12:10 p.m. - In the announcement video, Walz pledged to crack down on state government fraud, which will likely be a vulnerability on the campaign trail. Republicans have made state agencies’ struggle to guard against fraudsters central to their criticisms of Walz.

Feeding Our Future, the largest pandemic fraud in the nation, swindled $250 million in federal funds meant to feed hungry children. Federal investigators earlier this summer raided the offices of several providers of housing stabilization services, a Medicaid-funded program meant to help seniors and people with disabilities find and maintain housing.

The state Department of Human Services has said many more such providers are under investigation. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson has said he believes close to $1 billion in taxpayer money has been lost to fraud.

This spring, lawmakers said they received tepid reception — or even pushback — from the Walz administration over proposals to create a state Office of Inspector General to help tamp down on fraud, though the administration said Walz had “repeatedly indicated” he was open to the proposal. The bill never passed the state Legislature. Walz wanted to add nine more staff members to the existing Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, but the Legislature did not fund the positions.

— Allison Kite

11:45 a.m. - Throughout the spring, Walz looked like a governor gearing up for another run. He was expected to make his announcement after the Legislature wrapped up a special session this spring, but days later, his close governing ally and friend House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman was assassinated in her home along with her husband, Mark Hortman. The governor delayed his announcement and weighed the decision all summer.

Since the mass shooting late last month at Annunciation Catholic Church and School, Walz’s tone has shifted. He had walked right up to the line of publicly saying he’s running. Privately, he had started telling those close to him that he would seek a third term.

— Allison Kite

11:30 a.m. - What could the news mean for DFLers eyeing the office? Had Walz stepped aside, a game of political musical chairs would probably have ensued next year. Both Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon were seen as potential gubernatorial candidates in 2026, which could have opened up their seats next fall. Julie Blaha has already announced she won’t seek re-election next year.

— Nathaniel Minor

11:15 a.m. - Walz’s campaign launch comes just days after he called on the state Legislature to vote on banning assault weapons and invoked the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School as a reason he would seek a third term.

It’s an issue where Walz’s views have changed considerably over his years in office. In Congress, Walz had an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association. But during his first run for governor in 2018, he donated all the campaign contributions he had received from the group to an organization that helps families of fallen soldiers.

In an op-ed in the Star Tribune during that campaign, he said the gun rights organization was no longer an “advocate for sportsmen and women that held gun-safety classes” as it was when he was growing up.

As governor, he signed into law universal background checks for gun purchases, including for gun shows and private sales. He also signed a red flag law that allows family members, roommates, partners or law enforcement officials to petition to temporarily remove guns from an individual they believe is a danger to themself or others.

11 a.m. - Prominent Minnesota Democrats were quick to voice their support for Walz’s re-election bid. Attorney General Keith Ellison, whom DFL insiders believed to be interested in a run for governor himself, called Walz an “outstanding governor.” “I am glad he’s running for re-election,” Ellison said in a statement.

Ellison and other DFLers listed Walz’s legislative accomplishments, including extending free school lunches to all students, protecting abortion rights and creating a statewide family leave program.

DFL Party Chair Richard Carlbom predicted that Minnesotans would re-elect the governor “as he continues to shelter us from the economic storm brewing under Donald Trump.”

— Nathaniel Minor

10:35 a.m. - Republican Reps. Tom Emmer, the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House, and Pete Stauber were the first from the Minnesota congressional delegation to take digs at Walz after he announced his re-election.

Stauber said Walz “miserably failed Minnesota.”

“He blew up our historic surplus, made life unaffordable by raising taxes, repeatedly lied about his record, and called those he disagrees with ‘Fascists,’” Stauber said on X.

Rep. Angie Craig was the first Democrat from the delegation to applaud Walz’s announcement.

“I’m glad he’s running for re-election. Delivering results is hard work. But that’s what he has done, and what I know he’ll continue to do,” Craig said on X.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar posted that “Walz has been an incredible governor who delivers for the people of Minnesota. Let’s go out and win this thing!”

10 a.m. - Some legislative Republicans were quick to criticize Walz after his announcement on Tuesday.

“Tim Walz is a disaster and an embarrassment,” Republican state Rep. Kristin Robbins of Maple Grove, who is also running for governor, said in a video posted to social media. She criticized Walz for allowing “higher taxes, higher crime and rampant fraud” in his first two terms and said she is running to stop his “radical left policies.”

Rep. Harry Niska, a high-ranking House Republican from Ramsey, implored voters to tell Walz that “it is time to turn the page.”

“Re-elect Walz? No thanks,” added Rep. Jon Koznick, co-chair of the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee.

— Nathaniel Minor

His most recent fundraising event was held in St. Paul on Sept. 9, when he gave a speech to a group of Democratic donors. In his 2022 governor race, Walz spent roughly $9.8 million. Walz could have better access to donors in a 2026 race due to his national spotlight in the 2024 election.

— Emma Ritter

9 a.m. - Minnesota’s current lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, is running for the U.S. Senate, meaning she won’t join Walz on the ballot next fall. Flanagan praised Walz in a post on X after his announcement and said he “has my full support in his next chapter of leadership.”

Walz’s office said they haven’t spoken to any candidates yet, but Minnesota politicos are already speculating on who could be his second in command.

The list of prospects include former Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen, who dropped out of the U.S. Senate race earlier this year, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Golden Valley Mayor Roslyn Harmon. Two Democrats familiar with conversations also said Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston is interested in the job.

Harmon said in an email that she would “bring meaningful experience and a strong commitment to public service.” She added that she also has “thoughtful questions and some reservations I’d want to explore before making a decision.”

— Sydney Kashiwagi

8:35 a.m. - Republicans hope they can take advantage of Walz’s sliding polling numbers and other challenges to make 2026 the year they take back the governor’s office — and in the process win their first statewide race since 2006.

The three top Republicans in the race so far are state Rep. Kristin Robbins, businessman Kendall Qualls and former state Sen. Scott Jensen. Qualls and Jensen both ran in 2022, with Jensen winning the primary but losing to Walz by nearly 8 percentage points in the general election.

“Republicans have a great opportunity,” Preya Samsundar, a GOP operative in Minnesota, told the Minnesota Star Tribune over the summer. “But … you’re going to need a candidate who’s not dogged by past baggage.”

8:25 a.m. - In his first campaign video posted to social media on Tuesday, Walz made a pitch for unity, hope and reducing gun violence following the assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, as well as the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis.

“I’m heartbroken and angry about the beautiful people we lost to gun violence,” Walz said. “But it’s in these moments we have to come together. We can’t lose hope, because I’ve seen what we can do when we work together.”

In his video, Walz said he wants to lower costs for “people who raise our crops, weld our steel and teach our kids.” Walz said he wants to crack down on fraud in state programs, improve access to health care, boost public schools, “get serious about gun violence” and “protect our rights and freedoms no matter what you look like or who you love.”

Walz also differentiates himself from President Donald Trump’s administration in several ways, promising to “never stop fighting to protect us from the chaos corruption and cruelty coming out of Washington.”

— Walker Orenstein

Walz was re-elected in 2022 in a midterm election that also gave Democrats narrow control of the Minnesota House and Senate. The trifecta used a historic budget surplus to increase funding for public schools and provide universal school meals. They also eliminated many restrictions on abortion, banned conversion therapy, mandated paid family leave, expanded MinnesotaCare to cover undocumented immigrants and passed gun control measures, including universal background checks and a red flag law.

The 2024 election handed Minnesota a divided government, and Walz came into this spring’s session with a looming budget deficit and a tied House. Lawmakers eventually struck a deal that cut spending and adjourned after a one-day special session.

— Allison Kite

8:03 a.m. - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he’s running for a third term on social media Tuesday morning, posting on X that “we’ve made historic progress in our state, but we’re not done yet.” He included a two-minute video launching his re-election bid.

— Briana Bierschbach