Tim Walz Running For Third Term As Minnesota Governor

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced his bid for reelection on Tuesday.

Walz released the first ad of his reelection campaign alongside his announcement posted to social media. The two-term governor apparently wants to stay in St. Paul after he and former Vice President Kamala Harris were soundly defeated in Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.

The ad does not mention President Donald Trump by name, but Walz alludes to his one-time opponent.

“I’ve always tried to do what’s right for Minnesota, and I’ll never stop fighting to protect us from the chaos, corruption, and cruelty coming out of Washington,” Walz says, repeating a strategy echoed across many Democratic campaigns of lawmakers who chose to run against Trump, though his name may not even appear on another ballot.

I’m running for reelection to continue serving as Governor of Minnesota.

We’ve made historic progress in our state, but we’re not done yet. I’m staying in the fight — and I need you with me. pic.twitter.com/NsVCXfq4M2

— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) September 16, 2025

Walz counted among his successes “paid family leave,” “the child tax credit,” and raising “graduation rates to the highest ever.”

Harris tapped Walz as her running mate after she replaced former president Joe Biden at the top of the ticket. Biden bowed out of the race under pressure from Democratic donors after he appeared mentally impaired during a debate with Trump. Despite the numerous defenses made by Biden allies discounting the former president’s age and mental flubs, Biden appeared confused, lost, and, at times, incoherent on stage with Trump.

During the campaign, Walz was scrutinized over his cozy relationship with China, one of the United States’ foremost geopolitical opponents. Walz has said he has visited China over 30 times. He traveled to the country numerous times in the 90s and early 2000s on school trips where he introduced dozens of students to Chinese history and culture. Walz also said he honeymooned in the Communist-run state.

Walz has served as Minnesota’s governor since 2018 and presided over the state during the riots following George Floyd’s death in 2020. The riots, which swept the nation, caused billions of dollars in damage and were particularly severe in the Twin Cities area. Minneapolis alone suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

During the riots, the governor did not activate Minnesota’s National Guard until three days into massive riots that overwhelmed Minneapolis police and resulted in the torching of one police station. When the National Guard was activated, its remit was mostly the protection of federal property and did not extend to stopping riots.

Walz later defended his record on the riots by saying “we tried to do the best we can.”

The Minnesota governor earlier this month appeared to joke about Trump’s death, riling Republicans.

“Look I get it, you get up in the morning and you doom scroll through things, although I will say this, the last few days you woke up thinking there might be news,” Walz said at a Labor Day picnic, appearing to reference online rumors that Trump had died after the president had avoided the public eye for a couple days.

“Just saying, just saying, there will be news sometime, just so you know, there will be news,” Walz said.

Walz’s wistful remarks earned rebukes from Republicans who said that Walz was mocking Trump’s health and wishing for the death of the president.