Gov. Tim Walz coy on third term run as he talks to voters at Minnesota State Fair
Gov. Tim Walz was out at the Minnesota State Fair talking to voters about issues and their concerns.
It's as if he were running for office, but he insists he has not decided to run for a third term and his decision will come soon.
Walz continues to play the Hamlet of Summit Avenue on the question of to run or not to run, his pause drawn out by the shocking assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman. The governor was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning at 10:30 a.m. at the State Fair.
"I will just say personally, this one about broke me. I think it's no secret, Melissa Hortman was a dear friend, she was an ally," he said.
Walz's approval rating in the latest Minnesota poll sits at 49%. He has a sharp gender gap, with 60% of women giving him a thumbs up and only 37% of men voicing approval.
"We see a bit of a gender divide, but in all seriousness on it, I think this idea of access to reproductive care, we know that these are critical issues for folks," the governor said.
A third-term run would be a referendum on the sweeping progressive agenda passed during the Democratic trifecta in 2023. Perhaps the most impactful policy of that agenda won't start until Jan. 1 of 2026, when a new paid family and medical leave law will provide up to 20 weeks paid leave for an illness, an illness of a relative and for the birth and adopton of a child for almost all Minnesota workers, including those who are part time. Republicans warn it will be too expensive and hurt small businesses.
"Well, that's absolutely false. I think folks here may know this, all but six other countries in the world already have this," he said.
But any campaign for a third term would be shadowed by endless attacks over the estimated billion dollars of fraud cases that have piled up on the governor's watch. Walz has said new laws now allow him and state agencies to block alleged fraud much earlier. And the governor likes to say in a home break-in, the homeowner is not the one to blame. If Walz runs again, voters will decide how they feel about that.
You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Adam Del Rosso every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.