1 of 2 | Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz seen in Octobr 2024 during the first vice-presidential debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. On Tuesday, Walz announced he will seek a third term as Minnesota’s governor. File Photo by Al Drago/ UPI | License Photo
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday he will seek a third term in the state’s 2026 elections.
Walz, who was the Democratic Party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee, released a campaign video announcement saying he has “always tried to do what’s right for Minnesota.”
“I’ve seen how we help eachother in the hard times,” Walz opened his 2-minute long clip posted to social media. “And I’lll never stop fighting to protect us from the chaos, corruption and cruelty coming out of Washington.”
Walz was picked last year in August by then-U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris to be her running mate after President Joe Biden later dropped out of the race following a debate performance with now-President Donald Trump that left top brass in the Democratic Party establishment publicly questioning Biden’s fitness to continue.
Minnesota is one of around 36 states that allow a governor to seek election for more than two terms.
He now joins Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker seeking a third term in the 2026 election.
Several Republicans have jumped in the race including Walz’s 2022 GOP opponent Scott Jensen, who Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan beat in 2022 by about 7 points.
If Walz wins, he will be the first Minnesota governor to serve more than two terms since then-Gov. Rudy Perpich, also a Democrat-Farmer-Labor party member, left office in 1991 for Republican Gov. Arne Carlson.
Walz revealed he was considering a special legislative session to address Minnesota’s gun laws following the shooting death of state lawmaker Melissa Hortman.
On Tuesday, he paid tribute to Hortman saying “we’ve sen terrible times this year,” and that he was “heartbroken and angry about the beautiful people we’ve lost to gun violence.”
“But it’s in these moments we have to come together,” he said. “We can’t lose hope because I’ve seen what what we can when we come together.”
Earlier this year he endorsed Minnesota native Ken Martin in his successful bid to lead the Democratic National Committee as chair.
Rumors swirled that Walz would run for Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tina Smith, a fellow Democrat, after last November’s presidential election won by Trump.
But Walz revealed he would explore a third term around the same time that Flanagan rolled out her own campaign to win Smith’s seat in Washington.
Walz, however, has yet to endorse Flanagan amid rumors of a rift between the two following their successful 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial bids.
