Tim Walz announces he will run for third term as Minnesota’s governor

Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and the Democratic vice-presidential nominee last year, announced on Tuesday that he is running for a third term as governor in 2026.

The announcement comes after speculation that he could seek higher office in 2028 instead of a third term in the state.

In a video posted on social media, Walz drives around in his blue International Harvester Scout II with the license plate “ONE MN,” a slogan Walz used for his plan for the state.

“I’ve been to every corner of Minnesota and there’s nothing like it,” he says. “It’s the best place on Earth, with the best people. I’ve seen how we help each other through the hard times, and boy, we’ve seen terrible times this year. I’m heartbroken and angry about the beautiful people we lost to gun violence, but it’s in these moments we have to come together.”

Walz was referencing recent shootings in the state, including the political assassinations of House speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and a shooting at Annunciation church, which killed two schoolchildren.

He then details the list of accomplishments he has had as governor, particularly during the 2023 Democratic trifecta that brought him national acclaim on the left: paid family leave, a child tax credit, middle-class tax cuts.

He said he is running because he’s “not done yet” and wants to lower costs, crack down on fraud, protect access to healthcare, improve schools, address gun violence and protect rights for people “no matter what you look like or who you love”.

“I’ve always tried to do what’s right for Minnesota, and I’ll never stop fighting to protect us from the chaos, corruption and cruelty coming out of Washington,” he said.

Walz has served as Minnesota’s governor since 2018. Before that, he served in Congress in southern Minnesota for six terms after flipping a Republican seat. His run for vice-president raised his profile significantly across the country. It’s also made him a target on the right – Trump has often thrown barbs at Walz, including this week calling Walz “so whacked out” and a “mess”.

A recent poll of Minnesotans conducted by the Star Tribune and Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication this summer showed Walz’s approval rating had dropped to 49%, only the second time in the poll’s history that his approval had gone below 50%. The poll showed about half of Minnesotans said Walz shouldn’t run for a third term.