Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is preparing to step aside from the governor’s race, a move that jolts the state’s political landscape and opens the door to a high-profile shakeup at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Citing two people directly familiar with the governor’s thinking, Politico reports that Walz will formally bow out on Monday.
The decision comes after a pivotal meeting on Sunday between Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who is weighing a run of her own. The conversation focused on the future of the campaign and the path forward for Minnesota Democrats, according to one person familiar with the meeting.
Klobuchar’s possible entry instantly turns what was a steady race into an unpredictable one, with national attention likely to follow.
Walz’s exit also follows months of mounting political pressure tied to a federal probe into a sweeping fraud scandal in the state. While Walz is not accused of any wrongdoing, Republicans have been eager to connect him to the scheme, using it as a blunt weapon against his administration and his reelection effort. The scrutiny has hung over the race, growing louder as the election season ramps up.
Walz, the Democrats’ 2024 vice presidential nominee, is expected to address his decision publicly at a press conference Monday morning.
His departure leaves a vacuum at the top of the race—and a rare opening for Democrats to reset, even as Republicans sharpen their attacks and prepare for what could be a very different contest than the one they expected just weeks ago.
