Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that his time as an elected official will permanently end when he finishes his term as governor.
“I will never run for an elected office again. Never again,” Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, said in an interview with MS NOW.
Walz had said this month that he would not seek re-election as governor — sending shock waves through state and national politics — but he did not go so far as to say he would not consider another elected position down the line.
In explaining his decision Wednesday, Walz talked about the scenes unfolding in Minneapolis between residents and federal officers. He said he found that there are “heroes on the streets that we don’t know their names.”
“They’re never going to run for office, and those grass-tops leaders brought this administration to their knees this week to do something about it. So there’s other ways to serve, and I’ll find them,” he said.
Walz’s earlier announcement that he would not seek a third term as governor came amid heightened scrutiny of Minnesota's handling of alleged child care fraud. It also came months after Walz said he wanted to run again.
The surprise news fueled speculation about his plans after he left office.
About 18 months earlier, Walz was thrust into the national spotlight when Vice President Kamala Harris picked him as her running mate in the 2024 election. Walz had repeatedly said — even before 2024 — that he was considering a future presidential bid, but he had said he would rule out a 2028 run if he sought re-election as governor.
In forgoing another campaign for governor, Walz, a frequent target of President Donald Trump, cited what he called “political gamesmanship” by Republicans.
"Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences,” he said in a statement this month.
Harris, in a statement of her own, said at the time that Walz's “decision not to seek reelection reflects that same selfless commitment to the people he serves.”
Walz’s announcement Wednesday comes after federal officers shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, which drew harsh criticism of the Trump administration by Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democrats. Between the fatal shootings, the Justice Department served subpoenas on Walz, Frey and other state leaders as part of an investigation into whether Minnesota officials conspired to impede federal law enforcement during the Trump administration’s immigration operations there.
“Look, I recognize that I’m a lightning rod," he said on MS NOW, adding that "I know they hate me personally, and they take it out on my constituents."
Trump and Walz spoke on the phone Monday, signaling a potential easing of tensions between the administration and state and local officials.
