Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Drops Re-election Bid, Shaking 2026 Race
Governor Tim Walz ends his 2026 campaign, triggering a wide-open race for Minnesota’s top job.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Drops Re-election Bid
St. Paul, Minn.—In a surprise Sunday-evening email to supporters, Governor Tim Walz announced he will not seek a third term, instantly scrambling the 2026 race to lead the North Star State.
The Announcement
Walz, 60, framed the decision as a desire to "pass the baton" after nearly seven years in office.
I’ve given this job everything I’ve got. It’s time for fresh voices and new energy, Walz wrote.
The two-term Democrat, who chaired the Democratic Governors Association last cycle, had already banked $3.4 million but trailed potential GOP challengers in recent polling.
What Happens Next
- Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the nation’s highest-ranking Native woman executive, is immediately floated as the presumptive Democratic front-runner.
- Republicans, shut out of the governor’s mansion since 2010, see an opening; names being circulated include state senator Julia Coleman and former Senate majority leader Paul Gazelka.
- The filing deadline is still 14 months away, leaving room for a wide-open primary on both sides.
Legacy Check
Walz leaves with a mixed scorecard: universal school meals, a $2.8 billion infrastructure bill, and pandemic-era management praised by health officials—balanced against criticism over the 2023 response to the Minneapolis homeless encampment and a projected $2.4 billion budget shortfall in 2027.
Republican strategist Alex DeLarge calls the exit "a seismic gift" to the GOP, while Democratic analyst Keisha Williams warns against underestimating Flanagan’s grassroots network.
Looking Ahead
With Walz stepping aside, Minnesota joins a growing list of states—Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania—where open-seat governor races will test both parties’ ground games ahead of the 2028 presidential map.