Embattled Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to bow out of the 2026 re-election race as he faces mounting national criticism over a massive Somali fraud scandal engulfing his state.
“He’s likely to drop out of the 2026 #mngov race,” Minnesota political analyst Blois Olson posted on X Sunday night.
The news comes as Walz’s office has scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. Monday.
His office did not comment on what the failed vice presidential candidate plans to address, KARE 11 reported.
The Post has reached out to Walz’s office for comment.
Walz has come under national scrutiny — including from President Trump — over his handling of alleged Medicaid and day care fraud in Minnesota, with losses that could reach into the multi-billions.
The scrutiny intensified after independent journalist Nick Shirley released viral footage last month showing taxpayer-funded day care centers in Minnesota that appeared largely empty.
Federal authorities have since launched an operation in the Land of 10,000 Lakes aimed at “identifying, arresting, and removing criminals who are defrauding the American people,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Republicans are blasting Minnesota Democrats over the fraud scandal, accusing them of failing to prevent billions in taxpayer losses, as a Florida lawmaker compared the alleged scheme to “organized crime.”
The Trump administration has said it plans to freeze certain federal child care funds until states provide additional verification for the programs.
President Donald Trump himself suggested the alleged fraud in Minnesota could be even larger than investigators believe while speaking to a crowd at a New Year’s Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago.
“Can you imagine, they stole $18 billion,” Trump said.
State Rep. Kristin Robbins (R–Maple Grove), chairwoman of the Minnesota Fraud Committee and a GOP gubernatorial candidate, told The Post she alerted the Walz administration to her concerns after holding a hearing on day care fraud in February 2024 — but said her warnings were ignored.
“I gave the Department of Human Services a list of day care providers getting over $1 million in the previous year from the state who had numerous violations, and this day care was one of them on the list,” Robbins said outside the Quality Learning Center facility.
“They can’t say they didn’t know. We had a hearing on it. We gave them a list, and nothing has happened,” she added.
“I find it shocking that this is still happening when we flagged something over and over again.”
The House Oversight Committee is expected to hold multiple hearings on the alleged scandal in the coming weeks.
Olson told Fox 9 that Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, whom he said Walz met with Sunday, is a likely contender to replace the governor in the race.
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