Gov. Tim Walz’s top adviser is leaving his post after seven years during which he helped the DFL governor navigate multiple crises.
Walz said Thursday that his chief of staff, Chris Schmitter, will serve through the end of October before joining Walz’s re-election campaign as a senior adviser.
Schmitter, a lawyer and Rochester native, advised Walz through the COVID-19 pandemic, the riots that followed the murder of George Floyd and the historic 2023 legislative session.
The governor’s office said Schmitter also played a critical role in helping pass legislation creating a new child tax credit and increasing education funding.
Schmitter departs as the longest-serving chief of staff to a governor in Minnesota history, according to Walz’s office.
“Chris has been at my side for every major decision — every high, and every low — and I can confidently say that generations of Minnesotans will be better off today for his focus, tireless work, and clear sense of servant leadership,” Walz said in a statement.
Walz is seeking a historic third four-year term as governor in 2026.
Schmitter, who advised Walz on his first run for the U.S. House in 2006, said it was a privilege to serve the state “under circumstances that have been transformative and challenging, during times of generational change and moments of true bipartisan collaboration.”
