Walz to drop out from MN governor's race

[LonePirate]

Numerous news sources on X/Twitter are saying Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota is planning a speech on Monday where he intends to drop out of his third term election race for Governor.

[Melon]

1. In pint local news as well..

https://www.audacy.com/wccoradio/news/local/minnesota-gov-tim-walz-likely-to-drop-out-of-2026-race

I watched a recent rally and he was heckled endlessly for the fraud situation. Who is the best following candidate?

[fujiyamasan]

2. I didn't realize MN didn't have term limits

It’s a shame about this whole “scandal”. Anyone have some unbiased news links to understand what really happened?

[AZProgressive]

5. Local CBS Minneapolis did some good reporting

Debunking the main claims from the Shirley viral video.

There are some fraud cases but not related to the center in the video but all states have some level of fraud so that situation isn't unique to Minnesota and the person facing the most serious charges isn't Somali.

I consider CBS biased especially their national news desks but here is the only link I have bookmarked at the moment.

Director of Minnesota day care featured in YouTube video on fraud responds(CBS)

On Dec. 16, 2025, security footage shows various people throughout the day dropping off young children at the state-licensed ABC Learning Center in Minneapolis.

That same day, YouTuber Nick Shirley arrived and claimed that the day care was among many in Minnesota that were empty.

It's the latter video that has gone viral, creating a new political lightning rod as Minnesota grapples with various investigations and accusations related to widespread fraud. Officials at one day care, which was not among those featured in Shirley's video, say they was vandalized Tuesday morning, and records of both employees and children were accessed.

(snip)

On Tuesday afternoon, WCCO found more than a dozen children at the day care working with several adult staff members. Director Ahmed Hasan said that they were working on basic language and math skills.

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-day-care-fraud-director-responds/

[TheRickles]

32. Here's a very detailed story from The Intercept on the background of that guy Shirley. Not a pretty picture.

https://theintercept.com/2025/12/31/nick-shirley-videos-minnesota-somali-day-cares-fraud-claims/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20Intercept%20Newsletter|

[JHB]

3. Al Franken redux. Dem leader leaving office due to RW bullshit.

This better have been his own decision and not one "encouraged" by anyone else within the party.

[Tree Lady]

6. I hate this shit Tim's a good guy

And doesn’t deserve this. He wants to make sure a dem wins. It might help his son to be out of public with all the name calling.

[Emile]

21. Yep

[Johonny]

47. Yup. Bulwark loves the move

So you know it's awful. They haven't won and election yet.

[RockRaven]

4. Once again RW propaganda outfits (aka MSM and social media) claim a pelt.

[sheshe2]

17. When you say MSM I am assuming that you mean MSNBC/MS NOW

I am not sure what you have against them. Their news line up starting at 4PM with Nicholle Wallace and through 11PM with O'Donnell are excellent in their reporting. They sure don't give tsf et al any love and affection they go after all the maggots relentlessly.

CNN, well they are another story all together. I stopped watching them eons ago when they covered Natalee Holloway's disappearance and Michael Jackson sexual abuse scandal 24/7... ad nauseum.

JMHO

[jxla]

18. MSM is Main Stream Media nt

[sheshe2]

49. Thanks.

[BlueTsunami2018]

40. They're still corporate news.

Doing the whole good cop, bad cop thing. There are no good cops.

[AZJonnie]

7. If our Dem leaders are running away from politics over RW bullshit like this, we are probably in big trouble as a party

I hope it's because he plans to run for President, myself.

Fuck this rightwing gaslighting bullshit.

And Tim, if you're stepping out of running just over this, I'm hella disappointed bro

[Cha]

10. Maybe Gov Walz is taking one for the Team?

Wants to help ensure a Dem gets the next Gov of Minnesota?

He's had 2 Terms.. he seems like a Team Player to me.

[AZJonnie]

11. That's totally fine for any reason other than this one at hand

We can't just run away from these dirty tricks as a party, our leaders MUST stand up and LOUDLY call bullshit. Their side is NEVER going to stop with gaslighting tricks, we need to show we won't fold.

Don't get me wrong, I dig Walz a lot and respect him even more. I don't want him getting Franken'd.

F THAT!

[Cha]

12. I Agree... about the Not letting the

Fascist Fucks make the rules about who runs for office. They put a PEDO Rapist Felon in.. and that's the tip of the Iceberg.

I wish Al Franken hadn't dropped out... but he had Dems calling for his departure. I wish they wouldn't have done that.

[Ocelot II]

29. I think that's exactly what's happening. I'm sorry to hear it, but

MN has a deep bench while the GOP doesn't (Mike Lindell? Really?). Walz probably wanted to be sure the governor's job stayed with the DFL rather than risk the possibility that any of the GOP wackos could pick it up. The original Feeding Our Families fraud scandal has hurt him even though he doesn't deserve the crap he's been getting, because he understands that the buck always stops at the top. Maybe Peggy Flanagan could run, let Angie Craig take the Senate nomination unopposed?

[tritsofme]

30. Lots of speculation that Klobuchar is preparing to jump in the governor's race.

That would be great, and definitely enhance her profile as a future presidential candidate, though it might just be a capstone, given her age it’s probably 2028 or bust for her, if she really wants to do it.

[Ocelot II]

33. Her Senate term isn't up until 2031; she was just re-elected last year.

I very much doubt she'd resign from the Senate now, when we need every single Democrat there, to run for a state governorship. She's got plenty of profile as a Senator if she wants to run for president at that time.

[Pizza slice]

41. Klobachar wins governor, Walz appoints himself to Senate 😁

[Ocelot II]

42. Or, Klobuchar resigns from the Senate, Walz appoints Flanagan in her place,

which would give her a full term and keep that seat for Democrats. Klobuchar certainly could win if she ran for governor, so maybe that could happen.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

44. I would be very surprised if Walz appointed Flanagan to anything but it would certainly help his legacy

[Ocelot II]

46. There have been media reports of a rift between them since the election.

Supposedly Walz disagreed with some of Flanagan's moves as acting governor while he was campaigning. Even so, I doubt he'd put those disagreements with her ahead of political calculations, and it would definitely be a good thing for his legacy to appoint the first Native senator. Otherwise he could appoint Angie Craig, which would also keep the seat on the Dem side, but I'm really pulling for Flanagan if Klobuchar resigns (or in the primary, if she doesn't).

[Cha]

54. Mahalo for your Minnesota View, Ocelot..

It was an instinct I had from listening to Gov Walz and reading about him during the Election campaign.

Good point about "..he knows the buck always stops at the top".

[WhiskeyGrinder]

39. If he was, he should have dropped out months ago.

[Cha]

55. No.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

58. Yep. The fraud cases made him vulnerable even before it blew up nationally and there was concern about him being a drag

on the ticket. Setting his sights on a third term was unrealistic.

[Cha]

61. No.. I've heard from People in Minnesota whom

I respect. I trust them.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

62. That's fine; right now you're reading the words of someone else in Minnesota.

[Cosmocat]

22. He is a smart and good guy

and, tough.

IMO, he is seeing tea leaves.

[Ocelot II]

31. Yes, unfortunately the local commentary, LTTEs, etc. haven't been favorable.

He's been an excellent governor and I hate it that he's had to take the hit for the fraud that resulted from the failure of other government agencies to keep track of expenditures. But the buck always stops at the top, deserved or not, and he's doing the right thing by not giving the GOP a chance to install a governor.

[choie]

8. Tha is absolutely terrible.

Trump again gets whatever the fuck he wants.

[AZ8theist]

16. Fortunately, what he DOESN'T want ......

...is DEATH.

Which is coming soon.

[choie]

9. Once again

This proves that there is no justice in this country, much less the universe. A corrupt criminal sociopath serves as president and remains unscathed, yet a moral, compassionate leader like Walz is forced out. It’s a fucking horror show.

[marble falls]

24. You are posting on the wrong forum. This isn't Truth Social, Thank G*d.

[Tommy Carcetti]

26. Buh-bye. nt

[Kali]

27. See ya

[rubbersole]

13. Attacks on your special needs child would be unbearable to any normal person.

Hearing about that last week hurt my senses. And I live in Florida. I'd do anything to protect my vulnerable child. Anything.
Whatever Governor Walz's reasons for any road he takes in the future - he has already proven his decency on a global scale. He owes the "public" nothing else.
Thank you, Tim. You stepped up when your fellow citizens really needed a role model. And to use a quote that has become familiar..."you aced it".

[Wanderlust988]

14. Walz did his 2 terms. Too much negative press to win in November.

I don't like it, but that's politics unless your last name is Trump. He's a good guy and he's had his run.

I don't know all the facts, but I think Walz did admit there was some fraud going on of some type. It's not his fault but the press is having a field day.

[MIButterfly]

15. Oh no! It seems like the bad guys win and the good guys lose these days.

This saddens me. Why is he dropping out? I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

I am so sorry to see such a good, kind and decent man go.

I shudder to think what that abomination in the White House will have to say about this.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. He faced an uphill battle long before the fraud reports blew up nationally and there were many in the party who felt he

would be a drag on the ticket.

[Scrivener7]

36. I despise this, but when you put it that way it's a service to his constituents at great cost to himself. As I said

below, we should put him in charge of the DNC.

[Ocelot II]

37. Exactly right. It wasn't just the GOP shit-stirrers; there has been a lot of criticism locally,

deserved or not. Massive fraud that hit state taxpayers hard occurred on his watch, even if it wasn't his fault (obviously governors aren't responsible for auditing state agency books). I could see from local commentary and criticism that he was in trouble long before the recent Somali day care nonsense turned up.

[Melon]

60. He literally couldn't speak at his last engagement he was heckled so bad about fraud.

[Emile]

20. Looks like the right-wing, lying shit stirrers win.

[marshall]

25. Hopefully to devote himself full time to his presidential election campaign

Running for POTUS is more than a full time job

[RandiFan1290]

28. Republicons fight to win for their voters. nt

[bucolic_frolic]

34. "It's none of your damn business!" is too much truth for Americans to face.

He is a major league asset, but any controversies need to be played to ground. He may have a bigger future, or a return race for gov later on.

[Scrivener7]

35. Fuuuuuuck. Bring him back on the federal level. Or put him in charge of the DNC!

[Ocelot II]

43. Local news is reporting it now, and that Klobuchar could run instead.

Maybe the plan is for Klobuchar to resign from the Senate so Walz can appoint her replacement (presumably Peggy Flanagan), and Klobuchar can spool up her campaign for governor, which she could win easily against Mike Lindell or any of the other GOP bottom-feeders.

[question everything]

50. This will result with two freshmen senators from Minnesota. I don't think that this will serve well

[Ocelot II]

53. Flanagan gets Klobuchar's seat and Angie Craig runs for Tina Smith's seat in November.

Craig was elected to the House in 2018, so she's no rookie wrt the federal legislative system. And we would be spared a primary contest between Flanagan and Craig. Seems like a reasonable deal to me.

[obamanut2012]

56. Yup, my bet, too

[question everything]

59. What about seniority? I am not familiar with this but

Klobuchar has been an important member of the leadership; after the senators return to the chamber on that horrible Jam 6 she and an R were reading some votes.

Winning the governorship is not certain. Her votes last election were the lowest that she had before. Always trouble makers complaining about “social justice” test that she failed some 20 years earlier.

Of course if the R candidate is the Pillow Mam …

[obamanut2012]

51. I said this same thing to my wife last night

I bet it happens exactly like this.

[Jbraybarten]

45. Sigh. That absolutely sucks. I hope he still stays involved.

[EnergizedLib]

48. Is he dropping out over the unproven daycare thing?

[question everything]

52. He follows Al Franken step. You cannot be a full time governor or a senator if you have to

constantly respond to allegations.

[WiVoter]

57. Is There Video Here Of The Racist Punks Driving By Gov. Walz's Home

Saying the R word? I think I saw it here on DU but I can't find it. I want to use it against some friends and family members who have posted bullshit about him. I want to call them out by posting this video. Thank you in advance if someone could please share the link.

[MustLoveBeagles]

63. Once again a good person got screwed