Governor Walz Officially Drops Out of The Governor’s Race

ST. PAUL (WJON News) -- Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will hold a media briefing at 11:00 a.m. Monday.

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UPDATE: Governor Tim Walz today released the following statement announcing that he will not seek a third term as Governor of Minnesota.

“Good morning, and Happy New Year.

“Like many Minnesotans, I was glad to turn the page on 2025. It was an extraordinarily difficult year for our state. And it ended on a particularly sour note.

“For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state’s generosity. And even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis.

“I won’t mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, in St. Paul, and online – want to make our state 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. They’ve already begun by taking our tax dollars that were meant to help families afford child care. And they have no intention of stopping there.

ORIGINAL STORY: Fluence Media Political Analyst Blois Olson says his sources say Walz will announce he is dropping out of the Governor's race.

The media briefing says he will discuss "news of the day". It is very rare that they wouldn't have specifics, that they'd have a wide-ranging news conference.  Between that and my sources, I'm confident he'll announce he's dropping out of the governor's race.

Olson says the weight of the national media and the multiple investigations into fraud in the state have been the tipping point for Walz. Also, Olson says his heart really hasn't been into running for the third term, and his advisors had to talk him into running this past fall.

Olson says it is likely that United States Senator Amy Klobuchar could jump into the race as the Democratic candidate.

She's not on the ballot this year, she could run without giving up her senate seat.  She's been rumored behind the scenes that if Walz didn't run, she'd be interested in being governor.  She's the dean of the DFL party.

Olson says Klobuchar and Walz met Sunday night.

We are 29 days away from the Precinct Caucuses.

Other possible DFL candidates are Representative Kelly Morrison, former Representative Dean Phillips, and State Senator Erin Murphy. Walz has been seeking an unprecedented third term as Minnesota's Governor.