Tim Walz Rules Out Run for Open US Senate Seat in Minnesota

The former vice presidential candidate may try for a third term as Minnesota’s governor.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reacts as Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris concedes the election during a speech at Howard University in Washington on Nov. 6, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will not enter a race to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate, a spokesperson said on Feb. 26.

“He loves his job as Governor and he’s exploring the possibility of another term to continue his work to make Minnesota the best state in the country for kids,” the spokesperson told news outlets in a statement.

Walz, 60, is in the middle of his second term as Minnesota’s governor.

In Minnesota, there are no term limits for governors.

The Democrat, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, was the vice presidential candidate on then-Vice President Kamala Harris’s ticket in the 2024 presidential race. Harris lost to President Donald Trump.

Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said earlier in February that she would not run for another term.

“After 20 years of hard and rewarding work in the public sector, I’m ready to spend more time with my family,” Smith, 66, said in a video statement.

Smith is in her first term after beating Republican state Sen. Karin Housley in the 2018 U.S. Senate race.

Smith first took the seat after Democrat Al Franken resigned after he was accused of misconduct. Smith was appointed by then-Gov. Mark Dayton.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan recently launched a bid for the open Senate seat.

“I’m running to take Minnesota values to D.C.,” Flanagan, 45, wrote on social media platform X.

Flanagan highlighted how, as a state lawmaker and lieutenant governor, she helped push through an increase in the minimum wage, an expansion of paid family leave, and free meals at school for all students.

Flanagan is the only Democrat to so far formally launch a campaign.

Several Republicans have announced bids, including former professional basketball player Royce White.

White, 33, was the Republican nominee for the 2024 Minnesota Senate race. He lost to Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), 64, by about 500,000 votes.

Minnesota has not been represented by a Republican in the U.S. Senate since 2009, when former Sen. Norm Coleman left office after losing a reelection attempt.

The GOP currently controls the upper chamber in Washington with 53 seats. Thirty-five of the 100 Senate seats, including 22 held by Republicans, are up for election in 2026.

Democrats are projected to keep control of nine seats, with two others pegged as leaning Democrat and two designated as toss-ups, according to the Cook Political Report. Republicans are projected to maintain 19 seats. One other is labeled as likely Republican, and the two remaining seats are listed as leaning Republican.