In a move that has sent shockwaves through Minnesota’s political landscape, Governor Tim Walz is widely expected to announce his withdrawal from the 2026 gubernatorial race during an 11 a.m. press conference on Monday, January 5, 2026. The development, first reported by WCCO political analyst Blois Olson and subsequently echoed by multiple local news outlets, marks a dramatic turn in a campaign already fraught with controversy, partisan attacks, and deepening divisions within the state’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party.
Governor Walz, who launched his campaign for an unprecedented third consecutive term in September 2025 with a rally in downtown Minneapolis, now finds himself at the center of a political storm. According to FOX 9 and KARE 11, Walz’s office issued a vague advisory late Sunday, promising only that he would “discuss news of the day” at his upcoming press conference. The lack of detail fueled speculation that the governor would bow out, especially as pressure mounted from within his own party and from Republican adversaries emboldened by recent events.
Walz’s decision comes after a tumultuous year and a half, both politically and personally. The governor’s administration has faced fierce scrutiny over its handling of fraud in public programs, particularly Medicaid and federal child care funds. The Trump administration, which returned to power in 2024, has zeroed in on Minnesota’s welfare programs, threatening to pull or freeze federal funding unless the state hands over information on providers and parents suspected of fraudulent activity. State officials, as reported by WCCO, recently defended several childcare centers accused of fraud, stating that “recent inspections showed several childcare centers accused of fraud by a right-wing influencer were operating as expected.”
Republican rivals have seized on these issues, calling for Walz to resign or at least step aside from the race. House Speaker Lisa Demuth, one of several Republican challengers, publicly stated that Walz should “either resign, or step down from the race in light of the fraud issues within the state.” Other GOP contenders include Rep. Kristin Robbins, 2022 gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, and attorney Chris Madel. The Republican Party, which hasn’t won a statewide election in Minnesota since 2006, sees the 2026 race as a rare opportunity to reclaim the governor’s office, especially with the DFL facing internal strife.
Yet the pressure on Walz has not come solely from the right. According to the Star Tribune, nearly a dozen DFL elected officials and activists have privately and, in some cases, publicly expressed doubts about Walz’s viability for a third term. A group of DFL state senators requested a meeting with the governor in recent weeks to discuss the party’s path forward. Senator Jen McEwen of Duluth acknowledged, “There’s always sort of gossip and rumblings. I’m not a part of the group that’s talking actively about this.” Senator Matt Klein of Mendota Heights declined to comment on the senators’ request but did not dismiss that such discussions were underway. Some Democrats have even compared Walz’s insistence on running for a third term to President Joe Biden’s ill-fated 2024 campaign, which ended in a decisive loss to Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.
Walz’s national profile had grown considerably in 2024, when he was selected as Kamala Harris’s running mate in the presidential election. The Harris-Walz ticket ultimately lost to Trump and Vance, but the experience thrust Walz into the national spotlight and made him a polarizing figure in Minnesota politics. Since then, he has been the target of escalating attacks, both online and in person.
One of the most disturbing episodes came on Thanksgiving Day 2025, when President Trump posted an offensive slur about Walz on social media. The insult was quickly picked up and repeated by Trump supporters outside the governor’s mansion, leading to a surge in vitriol directed at Walz and his family. Walz’s daughter, Hope, took to social media to defend her brother Gus, who has a nonverbal learning disorder, declaring, “You can call me whatever you want, you can call my dad, my mom, when it’s Gus, f*** to the no. He dealt with people calling him that last August and now there’s a resurgence? No.”
The attacks intensified over the weekend of January 3-4, 2026, when President Trump posted false claims on Truth Social suggesting Walz was behind the assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who was killed in the summer of 2025. Walz responded forcefully on social media, stating, “Dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States. In covering for an actual serial killer, he is going to get more innocent people killed. America is better than this.” The accusation drew bipartisan condemnation, but also further inflamed the political climate in Minnesota.
The state has endured other tragedies during Walz’s tenure, including the mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School in 2024, which reignited debates over gun violence. Walz attempted to convene a special legislative session to address gun laws, but his efforts were stymied by partisan gridlock, highlighting the deep rift between the governor and Republican lawmakers.
As speculation swirled about Walz’s political future, he met privately with Senator Amy Klobuchar on Sunday, January 4, 2026. Klobuchar, a longtime fixture in Minnesota politics and chair of the Senate Steering and Policy Committee, is rumored to be considering a run for governor if Walz steps aside. Other potential Democratic contenders include Secretary of State Steve Simon, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, who is already seeking the DFL nomination for outgoing Senator Tina Smith’s seat.
Despite the mounting challenges, Walz’s supporters point to his record: first elected in 2018, he won re-election comfortably in 2022, and has steered Minnesota through a period of national turbulence. Yet, as Hamline University political science professor David Schultz told KARE 11, “It’s possible, but it’s going to be very difficult” for any Minnesota governor to win a third consecutive term. No one has managed the feat in modern state history.
As the clock ticks down to the scheduled press conference, Minnesota’s political class waits with bated breath. The outcome of Walz’s decision will shape not only the state’s gubernatorial race but also the broader fortunes of the DFL and the Republican Party in a pivotal midterm year. With the governor’s office and a U.S. Senate seat both up for grabs, the stakes could hardly be higher.
Whatever Governor Walz announces at 11 a.m. Monday, the reverberations will be felt far beyond the Capitol in St. Paul, setting the stage for a fiercely contested and deeply consequential election season in Minnesota.
