Tim Walz is OUT. We saw the writing on the wall during his Jazz Hands VP tour. And then the national media finally started paying attention to the billions of dollars of fraud in Minnesota.

But what did Tim Walz do? Claimed the fraud uncovered isn’t really an issue and that his state had prosecuted anyone who was caught. Those assertions were quickly blown out of the water by bloggers such as Powerline, national media (as the state media still runs cover for him), and federal prosecutors. 

Last night, rumors started flying that he is going to drop his campaign for re-election. 

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz could soon end his re-election campaign, according to political analyst Blois Olson.

“He’s likely to drop out of the 2026 #mngov race,” posted Olson, citing his sources. KARE 11 can confirm that Walz will hold a press briefing on Monday at 11 a.m., though his office has not confirmed what he will discuss.

The internal polling must have been spectacularly dismal for these rumors to start flying and have a Monday 11am presser scheduled. 

Walz has come under national scrutiny — including from President Trump — over his handling of alleged Medicaid and day care fraud in Minnesota, with losses that could reach into the multibillions.

The scrutiny intensified after independent journalist Nick Shirley released viral footage last month showing taxpayer-funded day care centers in Minnesota that appeared largely empty.

Federal authorities have since launched an operation in the Land of 10,000 Lakes aimed at “identifying, arresting, and removing criminals who are defrauding the American people,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The fraud is going to take decades to unravel. Provided the will is there to keep after it. That said, while the multibillions in fraud is a large part of Walz’s failure, there’s much more to it than that.

It’s the fact that he has an on-going Blue Falcon problem, he’s Elmer Fudd with a shotgun, and loves China. His wife enjoyed the smell of burning tires during the George Floyd riots, while his daughter warned the rioters about the National Guard. And it’s about him claiming the fraud has been dealt with, when anyone with even a minor dose of reality can see he’s done nothing unless forced to. 

Well, now it’s a reality. Tim Walz has canned his run for a third term.

But it isn’t HIS fault that he had to drop the race. Nope. It’s Trump and those big bad political actors such as Powerline, Nick Shirley, and Christopher Rufo. 

Minnesota has to come first – always.

Today, I’m proud of the work we’ve done to make Minnesota the best place to live and raise kids.

I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work. pic.twitter.com/AYbvcOzyPI

— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 5, 2026

It took him one paragraph in to get to the blame game. It’s not HIS fault you see. It’s everyone else’s for uncovering the fact that Minnesota has been a billion money-laundering slush fund for years. Who does he blame in his statement?

President Trump

Organized groups of political actors 

Trump Administration for yanking the funds 

Minnesota legislature 

MN Republicans 

In other words, everyone but himself. As I said above, the internal polling must’ve been one helluva reality check for him over the holidays. 

The large-scale theft—still being tabulated and growing—has been a major distraction for Walz and his fellow Democrats as their party struggles without a national leader or any real power in Washington.

The controversy has also handed a major political weapon to Republicans, who have been capitalizing on the scandal to portray the state and Walz as a national symbol of government waste and Democratic mismanagement. The Trump and administration officials have criticized him on a nearly daily basis and amplified videos critical of him.

This is one of the reasons why people despise the media. Fraud shouldn’t be described as a “distraction.” Fraud, especially on that scale, should mean all hands on deck to deal with it. Walz didn’t and won’t.

As Scott Johnson points out at Powerline, Walz and even the media (WSJ above) refuse to acknowledge is that just ONE aspect of the fraud, Feeding Our Future, has netted nearly 80 convictions. That doesn’t include the autism centers, the Learing daycare facilities, and more. 

As for who will take his place as candidate for governor… 

NEW: I'm hearing from multiple sources tonight that Sen. Amy Klobuchar is "very likely" to run for governor and will announce quickly. Democrats I've spoken with are thrilled about Klobuchar running, as it unifies and energizes the entire DFL ticket. pic.twitter.com/2iE2nV44EK

— Michael Brodkorb (@mbrodkorb) January 5, 2026

Well, I highly doubt Amy will be any better as governor. That said, reading between the lines, it’s obvious that Governor ‘Jazz Hands’ Walz had finally gotten toxic enough for the Democrats.

A fascinating political shooting star. Fraud stuff aside, one of the most significant political miscalculations in my lifetime was the Harris team's conclusion that Walz was the male archetype they needed to get all the men on board. https://t.co/xP0NIsAwhC

— Joseph Backholm (@josephbackholm) January 5, 2026

Agreed.

However, that doesn’t mean he’ll go quietly into the night. He could pull this move with Amy’s help… 

He definitely shouldn't be able to appoint himself on his way out…..

— Dan Jobe (@djobe1776) January 5, 2026

No, he and Amy shouldn’t. But Walz has shown himself to be astronomically tone-deaf on everything. 

However, he STILL has to appear before Congress on Wednesday regarding the fraud blanketing his state. I’m not sure there will be enough popcorn for that show!

Has there ever been a bigger gap than the one between the Tim Walz they unsuccessfully tried to sell us and the Tim Walz that actually exists? What a remarkable failure. https://t.co/CwuSeflL7r

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) January 5, 2026

That gap was deeper and wider than the Grand Canyon! 

One thing is clear, Minnesota will be better off without Tim Walz at the helm. Come November, the state needs someone in place who will work FOR the state and not ignore things like those pesky fraud issues.

Walz gave his press conference, and naturally, it’s everyone else’s fault that he’s leaving the race.

NEW: Gov. Tim Walz deflects blame as he addresses his state's massive fraud scandal:

"We've got Republicans here in the state legislature playing hide and seek with potential whistleblowers."

"We've got conspiracy theorists, right-wing YouTubers breaking into our daycares,… pic.twitter.com/SeQKbvnEy9

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 5, 2026

Walz declined to take questions from reporters, but in five minutes of remarks affirmed that he was “concerned about fraud in our state government” — while later tearing into President Trump and “his allies in Washington” and “conspiracy theorist, right-wing YouTubers” for “political gamesmanship.” “We cannot effectively deliver programs and services if we can’t earn the public’s trust,” he told members of the press. “We’ll win the fight against the fraudsters, but the political gamesmanship we’re seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder.”

If Walz thinks that dropping out of the race will take the pressure off, he’s got another thing coming.

Feature Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore/Tim Walz/Flickr/License CC BY-SA 2.0/edited in Canva Pro