Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, at a news conference at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 5, 2026, announced that he was ending his re-election campaign. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
Pointing to the protests against the actions by federal agents, Walz said there are "heroes on the streets that we don’t know their names."
"They’re never going to run for office, and those grass-tops leaders brought this administration to their knees this week to do something about it. So there’s other ways to serve, and I’ll find them," the governor added.
Walz launched his re-election bid in September, but in December started facing a barrage of incoming political fire from Trump and Republicans, and some Democrats, over the large-scale theft, under his watch as governor, in a state that has long prided itself on good governance.
More than 90 people — most from Minnesota's large Somali community — have been charged since 2022.
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How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion.
Federal prosecutors said some of the dozens that have already pleaded guilty in the case used the money to buy luxury cars, real estate, jewelry and international vacations, with some of the funds also sent overseas and potentially into the hands of Islamic terrorists.
"This is on my watch, I am accountable for this and, more importantly, I am the one that will fix it," Walz told reporters in December, as he took responsibility for the scandal.
Then-Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz walk out on stage together during a campaign event on Aug. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
But Walz was unknown to many Americans when then-Vice President Kamala Harris chose the Minnesota governor as her running mate in the summer of 2024, soon after she replaced then-President Joe Biden as the Democrats' presidential nominee.
Walz, during his three months as running mate, visually and vocally embraced the traditional role of political attack dog that has long been associated with vice presidential nominees.
But Harris and Walz fell short, losing the November 2024 election to Trump and now-Vice President JD Vance, as the Democratic Party ticket was swept in all seven crucial battleground states.
Pundits considered Walz a possible contender for the Democratic Party's 2028 presidential nomination.
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But Walz said in multiple interviews last summer that he had no interest in seeking the presidency.
And the ongoing fraud scandal and his decision to end his gubernatorial re-election put an end to Walz's recent tenure in national politics.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tim-walz-says-hes-done-politics-i-never-run-office-again