January 1, Minnesota Governor Quits After Major Fraud Scandal

Wyatt’s Take

• Democrat Gov. Tim Walz drops out after fraud scandals and political pressure.
• Massive misuse of funds exposed during pandemic resulted in dozens of indictments.
• Gov. blames both criminals and political opponents for turmoil in Minnesota.

Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota says he won’t run again, stepping down after big fraud scandals and backlash from voters.

He pointed to billions of dollars in stolen government money and bitter political fights as reasons he’s leaving the race.

“Good morning, and Happy New Year.”

“Like many Minnesotans, I was glad to turn the page on 2025. It was an extraordinarily difficult year for our state.”

“And it ended on a particularly sour note.”

“For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state’s generosity. And even as we make progress in the fight against the fraudsters, we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis.”

He singled out the Feeding Our Future scam, where hundreds of millions meant for school meals were stolen as kids in need got little to nothing.

This group only faced real consequences after FBI raids and federal charges, with over 50 people pleading guilty so far.

State officials tried to shut off the group’s cash flow early, but say the fraud kept going until law enforcement stepped in.

All told, dozens have been charged for stealing from federal programs during the pandemic.

Walz further said:

“I won’t mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, in St. Paul, and online – want to make our state a colder, meaner place.”

“They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.”

“They’ve already begun by taking our tax dollars that were meant to help families afford child care. And they have no intention of stopping there.”

“Make no mistake: We should be concerned about fraud in our state government. We cannot effectively deliver programs and services if we can’t earn the public’s trust.”

“That’s why, over the past few years, we’ve made systemic changes to the way we do business.”

“We’ve gone to the legislature time and again to get more tools to combat fraud. We’ve fired people who weren’t doing their jobs.”

“We’ve seen people go to jail for stealing from our state. We’ve cut off whole streams of funding, in partnership with the federal government, where we saw widespread criminal activity.”

“We’ve put new locks on the doors of our remaining programs, and we’ve hired a new head of program integrity to make sure those locks can’t be broken.”

“All across the state, Minnesotans are hard at work on this problem. Advocates, administrators, investigators are on the front lines defending the integrity of our state’s programs, and I want to thank them for their efforts.”

“There’s more to do. A single taxpayer dollar wasted on fraud is a dollar too much to tolerate.”

“And while there’s a role to play for everyone – from the legislature to prosecutors to insurance companies to local and county government – the buck stops with me. My administration is taking fast, decisive action to solve this crisis.”

“And we will win the fight against the fraudsters.”

“But the political gamesmanship we’re seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder to win.”

“We’ve got Republicans here in the legislature playing hide-and-seek with whistleblowers.”

“We’ve got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children.”

“We’ve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating childcare funding that Minnesotans rely on.”

“It is disgusting. And it is dangerous.”

“Republicans are playing politics with the future of our state. And it’s shameful.”

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: We welcome ideas from anyone, in any party, who wants to help us continue to stay ahead of the criminals.”

“And we welcome the involvement of the federal government. I’m grateful to the career professionals at the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI who are helping us win this fight.”

“But I cannot abide the actions of the political leadership in Washington – these opportunists who are willing to hurt our people to score a few cheap points.”

“They and their allies have no intention of helping us solve the problem – and every intention of profiting off of it.”

“Which brings me to this: 2026 is an election year. And election years have a way of ramping up the politics at a time when we simply can’t afford more politics.”

“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.”

“But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all. 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.”

“So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.”

“I know this news may come as a surprise. But I’m passing on the race with zero sadness and zero regret.”

“After all, I didn’t run for this job so I could have this job. I ran for this job so I could do this job.”

“Minnesota faces an enormous challenge this year. And I refuse to spend even one minute of 2026 doing anything other than rising to meet the moment.”

“Minnesota has to come first – always.”

If you want leaders to put honesty and hard work before politics, keep following for more real news from the heartland.

Wyatt Matters

Families in the Midwest want leaders who protect their tax money and keep programs honest. Standing against corruption is about more than politics—it’s doing what’s right for every hardworking American who cares about their community.

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