Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will not run for a third term

ST PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats’ 2024 vice presidential nominee, has ended his bid for a third term as governor less than four months after launching his reelection campaign.

Walz said in a statement Monday that he thought he would have won another term but decided “I couldn’t give everything I had to a political campaign” after what he described as “an extremely difficult year for our state.”

The 61-year-old cited ongoing investigations into fraud in the state’s child welfare programs and the fact that President Donald Trump has used the issue as a political cudgel.

“Donald Trump and his allies — in Washington, St. Paul and online — want to make our state a colder, meaner place,” Walz said, referring to the Trump administration’s withholding of funds for the programs. “They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. Ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.”

Barrow reported from Atlanta.