Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz started the new year Monday by ending his bid for a historic third four-year term, a wise and selfless decision that reshapes the 2026 governor’s race and improves DFL chances at holding the office.

His departure wasn’t a shock, but it was still surprising because it’s not easy for anyone to reconsider and retreat, especially from a powerful position in the public eye.

Walz read the temperature of the room correctly and did the right thing.

In backrooms and none-too-quietly, the most loyal and influential DFLers had escalated discussions about how to coax the governor from the race.

They were openly concerned about a “President Joe Biden moment,” a worry that Walz would wait too long to get out of the race and leave his party scrambling to support a viable contender and hold the state’s most influential office in November. So many DFL gains in recent years were at stake.

Walz’s statement Monday reflected that he saw the reality, that he himself had become too much of the issue for 2026.

“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.

Walz’s opponents, the same ones who have been calling for his immediate resignation, already are faulting him for leaving the race, running away rather than taking accountability.

That’s comical. Neither the DFL nor the governor will escape the legacy of massive fraud, whether it’s hundreds of millions or the $9 billion claimed by federal prosecutors.

The fraud is bad and demoralizing, but this is still a bittersweet moment for those of us who believe Walz is a thoughtful, compassionate politician whose extraordinary life has been about sacrifice and service, first in the military and as a public school teacher before he ran for Congress.

It’s not easy for anyone to step away from power, as evidenced by the many examples in D.C. of officeholders who overstay their usefulness, their aides propping them up professionally and physically as they fade away before our eyes.

At 61, age didn’t force Walz out, and he’s never been focused on personal aggrandizement or enrichment. This governor doesn’t even take his full state salary, and he is not alleged, even by his most fervent foes, to have personally profited from the social services fraud.

But in public life, politics and government, perception is reality. The perception, which will be discussed and dissected for decades, is that Walz and his administration slept on the fraud, failing to catch and curb the abuse.

Elected governor in 2018 after 12 years in Congress, Walz’s professional fortunes soared and sank in the past 18 months. He joined the presidential ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris for a whirlwind three months in fall 2024 after Biden’s late departure from the race.

This was no typical loss. President Donald Trump’s second term grows more virulent and unpredictable by the day as he sidelines Congress, embraces authoritarianism and personally profits from his office at previously unfathomable levels, according to numerous ethics watchdogs.

Walz suffered a staggering personal and professional blow in June 2025 with the assassination of his closest ally and friend, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Over the weekend, Trump took time out of his schedule to personally spread nasty and false conspiracy theories on social media about why she was killed.

Even though Walz waited until mid-September to announce his intention to seek another term, his heart didn’t seem to be fully in it. His kickoff message, “We’re not done yet,” did not signal the level of enthusiasm needed for the fight ahead.

Team Walz was banking on the governor’s fundraising ability and his record of progressive accomplishments that included establishing free meals for schoolchildren, a child care tax credit, paid family and medical leave, protecting access to reproductive care and new gun safety measures to carry him across the finish line.

But Walz was on his heels as opponents focused solely on fraud. Also revealing was the fact that the governor had yet to recruit a running mate. He routinely declined interviews with mainstream media that could have sharpened his message.

Instead, the governor favored lighter chats with social media influencers, but those quirky bits weren’t preparing him for the unrelenting and punishing debate against Republicans. Walz’s inability to lift himself from a defensive crouch had become increasingly apparent to his own party and to the middle-of-the-road voters who can swing statewide races.

A familiar backroom conversation that began last summer grew much louder in recent weeks. It went like this: I like Walz. I voted for him twice, but I wish he weren’t running for a third term. Will he get out?

Now that Walz is done, the scramble to pivot is on for both the DFL and the Republicans.

For Democrats, the big question is whether U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar brings her electoral muscle to the governor’s race. She’s been remarkably resilient in statewide races and won her fourth Senate term in 2024.

A smart, disciplined and still ambitious politician, Klobuchar could counter and steer Minnesota through Trumpism. Her background as a prosecutor would also position her as a fraud-fighter in a way that Walz never could.

With Walz out as their physical punching bag, Republicans will need to reshape their campaigns. They will try to blame the entire DFL for the fraud, but they’re going to need to come up with more than that, to talk about consequential topics from immigration enforcement to health care costs and their support for Trump.

Walz has given Minnesotans the reset they deserve in the governor’s race. He correctly read the temperature of the room, which is not easy to do from the corner office or the governor’s Summit Avenue residence.

Like every governor, Walz’s legacy will be mixed, but he must be given well-deserved credit for understanding the stakes of the moment. His selfless decision to bow out gives Minnesotans the opportunity for a wide-ranging and yearlong debate about who should succeed him.

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Rochelle Olson is a columnist on the Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board focused on politics and governance.

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