Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday he will run for a third term in 2026, seeking to extend Democratic control in a state that hasn’t elected a governor to three consecutive terms in more than 60 years.
“I’m heartbroken and angry about the beautiful people we lost to gun violence, but it’s in these moments we have to come together,” he said. “We can’t lose hope, because I’ve seen what we can do when we work together, like passing paid family leave and the child tax credit, cutting taxes for the middle class, while also making the largest investments in public safety.”
He touted the accomplishments of the 2023 legislative session, when Democrats used their full control to enact a sweeping platform of liberal priorities, including free school meals for all students and expanded protections for abortion and those who identify as transgender.
“I’ve always tried to do what’s right for Minnesota, and I'll never stop fighting to protect us from the chaos, corruption, and cruelty coming out of Washington,” said Walz, who’s been a vocal critic of the Trump administration.
While his bid for national office boosted his visibility, it also sharpened scrutiny of his record as governor and as a former congressman. Republicans have criticized Walz for his handling of the unrest that followed the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, for a $250 million pandemic food-aid fraud scandal, and for questions surrounding his National Guard service, including claims that he exaggerated his rank.
Walz was first elected in 2018 by more than 11 percentage points and won reelection in 2022 by nearly 8 points. No governor has secured three terms since Minnesota switched to four-year terms in 1963. No Republican has won statewide office since 2006, when Tim Pawlenty was reelected governor, but the GOP has made inroads. In 2022, several Republican candidates came within striking distance, and the state House is split evenly for the 2025 session.
Some Democrats cheered Walz’s announcement, while Republicans were quick to voice opposition.
“Tim 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 wrote.
Several Republicans are already lining up for the race. Former business executive and Army veteran Kendall Qualls entered in May. Former state senator and physician Scott Jensen, the GOP nominee in 2022, announced in July that he is running again.
During a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Capitol Hill in June, Walz said he saw a need for immigration reform and rejected Republican claims that he has been weak on enforcement.
“Enforcing federal immigration law is not the role of state or local law enforcement,“ he said. ”Congress has given federal agencies the authority to enforce immigration laws across the country, including in Minnesota, and I support their doing so.”
But Walz faced sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers during the hearing, who pointed to his remarks during a University of Minnesota commencement speech in which he said that “Donald Trump’s modern-day Gestapo is scooping folks up off the streets,” presumably referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arresting people suspected of being in the United States illegally.
While Walz wasn’t given a chance to respond to Emmer’s remarks, he addressed the statement later in the hearing.
“What I said congressman—and I have a long history of supporting law enforcement—I said President Trump was using them as his modern day gestapo, not identifying who you are, coming up in unmarked vans, taking people away,” Walz said.
