'Let others worry': Scandal-plagued Tim Walz announces he will not seek third term

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced in September that he would run for a third term, stating, "I'm staying in the fight — and I need you with me."

Evidently Walz had neither the requisite fight nor the support to stick it out.

The failed vice presidential candidate announced on Monday that he won't seek a third term after all.

"I have every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort," said Walz. "But 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."

'They want to poison our people against each other.'

"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," added Walz. "So I've decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work."

A recent KSTP-TV/SurveyUSA poll of 578 registered voters found that 69% believe Walz needs to do more to stop fraud in Minnesota. According to the poll, Walz's disapproval rating was 48%.

Incredible graft has taken place in the Gopher State under Walz's nose, including the the student aid fraud plaguing Minnesota's publicly funded schools as well as the historic fraud allegedly committed by members of the Somali community in relation to coronavirus relief funding and taxpayer-subsidized day-care facilities.

RELATED: Tim Walz's nightmare continues as HHS shuts off $185M to Minnesota amid allegedly 'fake' Somali day care centers

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

The Trump administration and Congress have launched investigations into the apparent widespread fraud that has taken place in Walz's back yard, and some officials have called for Walz to resign.

Walz claimed that he is "passing on the race with zero sadness and zero regret" and suggested both that he is confident a fellow traveler will run for governor and that he will "find ways to contribute to the state" after he leaves office in January 2027.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) reportedly met with Walz on Sunday evening. Two individuals briefed on their conversation told the New York Times that Klobuchar is considering jumping into the race to succeed Walz.

Blaze News has reached out to Klobuchar's office for comment.

Walz used up a great deal of room in his Monday statement criticizing President Donald Trump and his allies, suggesting they want to make Minnesota "a colder, meaner place. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family."

The governor cited as an example of this supposed cruelty the Trump administration's pause on child-care payments to Minnesota.

Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill announced on Dec. 30 that funds from the Administration for Children and Families — $185 million of which the Gopher State receives yearly — were being paused as the result of "shocking and credible allegations of extensive fraud in Minnesota's child-care programs."

"We believe the state of Minnesota has allowed scammers and fake day cares to siphon millions of taxpayer dollars over the past decade," added O'Neill.

While acknowledging that fraud in the state government was a legitimate concern and that the "buck stops with [him]," Walz suggested that Republicans were somehow making his "fight harder to win."

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