Tim Walz drops out of Minnesota governor’s race amid fraud scandal
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has ended his reelection bid amid mounting pressure over a fraud scandal that has engulfed his administration in recent weeks.
The move comes days after a handful of Republican state lawmakers asked Walz to leave office, citing reports from a U.S. Attorney that, since 2018, at least half of the $18 billion paid through Minnesota’s 14 Medicaid waiver programs could be fraudulent, and after Republicans in Congress called on Walz to testify about his failure to address the crisis.
Walz, the former vice presidential candidate on Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign, cited the growing pressure as one of the reasons for his decision to leave the race, though he pushed back on claims that he has not adequately attempted to curb the crisis.
“As I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all,” he said.
“So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work,” Walz continued in the statement.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, head of the Democratic Governor’s association, commended Walz’ leadership and reasserted his confidence that, “no matter who decides to run,” Democrats would win the state in the 2026 governor’s race. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan group that analyzes state, federal and presidential elections, labels the Minnesota race as “likely Democrat.”
Walz has scheduled a news conference Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. ET to address his decision.

