Walz Says He Will Never Run for Elected Office Again

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says he is done with elections and will focus on other ways to serve.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks to reporters after he announced that he would not seek reelection, at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 5, 2026. Tim Evans/Reuters

Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz said he will not seek elected office again, telling MS NOW in an interview this week that his political career is over as the state reels from immigration enforcement related incidents, major fraud allegations, and unrest.

“I have no political consideration and will never run for an elected office again,” Walz said. “Never again.”

The governor framed the decision as part of his response to the current moment and what he described as pressure on Minnesota. He said he views himself as a controversial figure and suggested that dynamic made it harder to navigate the state’s challenges without politics becoming part of the story.

“Look, I recognize that I’m a lightning rod,” he said of why he is removing himself from politics. “This is a tough space I’m in, because they hate me personally, and they take it out on my constituents.”

Walz said he felt it was his responsibility to restore faith in government, and he said he accomplished that through different actions during his tenure, such as enacting paid family leave and the state having low death rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said he has no regrets about stepping away from another campaign, and he wants to keep working outside the electoral arena.

“And I will just do the work ... there’s other ways to serve, and I’ll find them,” he said.

Walz, 61, announced on Jan. 5 that he would not run for another term in 2026. He has been governor since 2019 and prior to that served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

When he announced his decision to drop out—which came prior to the escalation of tensions in Minnesota following federal officers fatally shooting two Minnesotans—he gave similar reasoning, saying he decided he could not split his attention between governing and campaigning.

“Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences,” Walz said in a statement posted on X. “So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.”

In the MS NOW interview, Walz also addressed scrutiny tied to fraud investigations and federal action in Minnesota.

President Donald Trump and administration officials have taken action against Minnesota amid allegations of widespread fraud in the state, including freezing federal child care funds after alleged fraudulent day care schemes were uncovered.

Federal officials have also indicted and convicted dozens of people in a $250 million operation that allegedly included crimes such as wire fraud, FBI Director Kash Patel said at the end of December 2025.

Walz said he does not believe the administration would have stayed away if the state had handled those issues differently, arguing the pressure was coming regardless.

“No, no, they were coming anyway,” Walz said, referring to the federal officials.

He said he believes accountability is still necessary and he is taking responsibility for fixing what he can at the state level.

“I said, you know what, you’re right. I’m accountable for this,” he said, adding he wanted to spend the year getting the problems “fixed.”