The Rise And Fall Of Tim Walz's Political Career

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has quite the story to tell. When looking back at his political career, one might even be tempted to turn it into a screenplay. The road has been long and winding, littered with successes and failures. Walz has had some very high highs, and some incredible lows, the lowest of which came in 2026, when the beloved politician announced he wouldn't be seeking re-election in November. The decision shocked some while others applauded it. Notably, the move came as Walz found himself in the midst of a massive scandal (more on that later). 

It's hard to believe that barely two years prior, the governor was a fan favorite among supporters of the Democratic Party. Walz's well-established love of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé's music made him popular among young voters, while his down-to-earth personality was a breath of fresh air amid the stink of contention that President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance left in their wake. Vogue proclaimed that Walz had "midwestern-dad energy," touting his relatability. And indeed, the proud Minnesotan seemed just like us ordinary folks. 

Social media platforms were littered with adorable snaps of the governor engaging in ordinary, everyday behavior: Cuddling a cat, giving snuggles to dogs, and doing dad things with his kids. "Tim Walz's regular guy vibes are off the charts," one fan penned on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Every new fact I learn about Tim Walz is like 'he once donated his life's savings to buying a puppy hearing aids,'" another user gushed. Walz was on top of the world, but anyone who's been keeping an eye on politics long enough knows that public opinion changes like the wind. Walz's incredible popularity didn't last long, and as it died, so too did his political career. 

Tim Walz didn't grow up dreaming about a political career. He was just an ordinary guy who taught global geology at Mankato West High School, and before that, served as a member of the National Guard. But then, a fateful field trip to a George W. Bush campaign event in 2004 changed everything. Walz claimed that his students weren't allowed to attend because one classmate was wearing a sticker supporting Bush's opponent, Former Senator John Kerry. The teacher was left feeling angry at the unfair snub and subsequently offered his services to Kerry's campaign. 

Kerry's loss did not intimidate Walz, who set his sights on running for Minnesota's 1st congressional district in 2006. Impressively, the first-timer managed to dethrone his Republican opponent, Gil Gutknecht — a  rare feat, given that he'd held the seat for over a decade at that point. Of course, his bid for Congress came with some personal attacks. Walz's opponent dug for dirt and found it; the congressman-to-be had been arrested for driving under the influence back in 1995. 

When it happened, he fully admitted to wrongdoing, but when it came back to bite him, Walz's campaign denied that he'd been over the legal drinking limit that night, claiming the story was nothing but fiction (some cursory digging in the archives provided plenty of evidence to the contrary). Walz still managed to clinch the election, and went on to win four more congressional elections. In 2018, he finally addressed the DUI, acknowledging that he had been guilty as charged. 

Politics suited Tim Walz, and in 2018, he set his sights on Minnesota's gubernatorial race — and won. Walz didn't have the easiest first term, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and the horrific murder of George Floyd. Tim Walz has weathered plenty of tragedies in his life, and the pandemic was just another item on a long list of obstacles. In November 2020, Walz made the difficult decision to implement restrictions to curb the spread of the deadly virus, ordering the closure of gyms and theaters while restricting access to restaurants and shops, and banning social gatherings. 

"We're at a dangerous point in this pandemic. How we act, and how this virus moves, will have huge implications on the number of people who will be hospitalized and, ultimately, those who will lose their lives," he warned in a somber address, per MPR News. In the midst of the pandemic, the governor also had to handle the murder of Floyd, which fueled the Black Lives Matter movement and led to widespread unrest in his home state. He was heavily criticized for not anticipating the uproar and failing to deploy the National Guard sooner. It was a very tricky situation to navigate, and Walz, in some aspects, failed to take decisive action when it was needed most. 

Interestingly enough, President Donald Trump praised his response during a 2020 phone call, enthusing, "What they did in Minneapolis was incredible. They went in and dominated, and it happened immediately," per AP News. He added, "Tim, you called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast, it was like bowling pins." Unsurprisingly, Trump walked back these comments when Walz was tapped for vice president in 2024, instead sharply criticizing his response. 

In what would become the peak of his political career, Tim Walz was hand-picked by Former Vice President Kamala Harris to be her running mate as she made a bid for the White House in 2024. In an announcement on X, Harris wrote, "I am proud to announce that I've asked @Tim_Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his." The Minnesota governor accepted the nomination to loud cheers at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, thanking Harris for entrusting him with the job. "It's the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States," Walz gushed in his speech, per ABC News. Even though Harris and Walz ultimately ended up losing the election to Donald Trump, the former high school teacher didn't stop offering up criticism about the divisive politician.

In particular, Tim Walz coined some scathing nicknames for Trump and took one last brutal dig at JD Vance for good measure. In the aftermath of his and Harris' devastating defeat, Walz told KSTP that he didn't see it coming. "It felt like at the rallies, at the things I was going to, the shops I was going in, that the momentum was going our way," he noted, per The Guardian. "So, yeah, I was a little surprised." The beloved politician added that he had a good feeling that Americans were ready for the positive change he and Harris were planning on bringing about, musing that there were likely some ways in which they could have strengthened their campaign. But, "On this one, I did the best I could."

As far as social media strategies are concerned, the Democrats have always been sorely lacking. Tim Walz managed to change that in a big way before California Governor Gavin Newsom jumped into the fray in 2025 with his scathing tweets winningly mimicking Donald Trump's inimitable style. Walz managed to win over netizens before Kamala Harris tapped him for vice president by memorably calling the president and his many Republican sycophants "weird" during an interview with MSNBC in July 2024 (via X). "These are weird people on the other side," the Minnesota governor asserted. "They want to take books away, they want to be in your exam room. That's what it comes down to. And don't get sugarcoating this. These are weird ideas." It wasn't a revolutionary phrase, but it resonated with people, and Walz soon found himself a fan favorite on social media. 

After landing on the vice presidential ticket, he continued framing Trump and his allies this way too. "These guys are creepy and yes, just weird as hell," Walz proclaimed at a rally, per MPR News. Many applauded his simple candor, with historian Jennifer Mercieca pointing out, "The opposite of normalizing authoritarianism is to make it weird, to call it out and to sort of mock it." It wasn't just the public who found Walz's approach refreshing either. Ohio Representative Greg Landsman also commended his conduct, arguing that it highlighted that the Democratic Party is sensible and therefore the smarter choice.

After losing the 2024 presidential election, things went downhill fast for Tim Walz. As he geared up to make a third bid for the governor's seat, the politician found himself crippled by a fraud scandal in his home state pertaining to the nonprofit group Feeding Our Future, which was found guilty of defrauding the government by claiming to provide meals to kids during the Covid-19 pandemic. As it turns out, the program wasn't actually feeding anyone, while taking millions in government funding. Of course, all of this happened under Walz's watch — and it wasn't the only case either. Many other fraudulent programs have since been discovered and brought to light, with an estimated $9 billion in taxpayer dollars has been lost to such schemes.

It was a very bad look for the governor and Walz faced sharp criticism from Republicans for letting it happen. "He has not held anyone in his administration accountable, and he's a coward," Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer raged to the New York Post. "He refuses to take accountability for himself. I think he should resign; this is so bad." Walz has no plans to resign at the time of writing, but he confirmed in January 2026 that he would not be running for a third term.

"In September, I announced that I would run for a historic third term as Minnesota's Governor. And I have every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort," Walz said in a statement, per ABC News, before professing that the fraud scandal was too much of a distraction that would hinder him from running a good campaign and serving his constituents to the best of his ability.