# Tim Walz *Governor of Minnesota (2019–present); Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024* Timothy James Walz (born April 6, 1964) has been the 41st [[Governor of Minnesota]] since 2019 and is a member of the [[Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party]].[^1][^2] Before that, he represented Minnesota's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House from 2007 to 2019. In 2024 he was the Democratic vice-presidential nominee on the ticket headed by Kamala Harris, which lost to Donald Trump and [[JD Vance]].[^2][^3] Walz entered the 2026 governor's race on September 16, 2025, and withdrew on January 5, 2026. Wikipedia's account places the withdrawal after investigations into fraud in state-funded social services.[^2][^4] In March 2026 the majority staff of the [[House Oversight]] Committee issued *[[The Cost of Doing Nothing]]: How Tim Walz and Keith Ellison Fueled Minnesota's Fraud Explosion*. That 54-page report was expanded to 205 pages in a version dated June 8, 2026.[^5][^6] Earlier, on January 14, 2026, the [[United States Department of Justice]] announced a lawsuit against the State in release No. 26-21, titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*.[^7] ## Early life and education Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska, on April 6, 1964. His family lived in Valentine and later Butte, Nebraska, where he finished high school in 1982.[^2] He joined the Army National Guard and worked in a factory. He then completed a degree at Chadron State College. He relocated to Minnesota in 1996 and took courses at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.[^2] ## Early career Beginning in August 1989, Walz spent a year teaching at a high school in Guangdong, China, through WorldTeach. He then taught and coached in Alliance, Nebraska.[^2] He married Gwen Whipple, also a teacher, in 1994. Two years later the couple settled in [[Mankato]], where he taught geography and coached football at Mankato West High School. The school's team won a state championship in 1999.[^2] He earned a master of science in experiential education from Minnesota State University, Mankato, in 2002. In March 2006 he took leave from teaching to run for Congress.[^2] ## U.S. House of Representatives (2007–2019) Walz filed for the 1st district seat on February 10, 2005. In 2006 he unseated Republican Gil Gutknecht, a six-term incumbent, with 53% of the vote.[^2] He won five more elections. In 2016 his margin over Republican Jim Hagedorn was 2,548 votes, or 0.7%.[^2] He was ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2019. In 2018 he ran for governor instead of a seventh House term.[^2] ## Governor of Minnesota (2019–present) ### Elections Walz entered the governor's race in March 2017, after [[Mark Dayton]] chose not to run again.[^2] In the August 2018 primary he won a 41.60% plurality over state representative [[Erin Murphy (Minnesota politician)]], who held the party endorsement, and Attorney General [[Lori Swanson]].[^2] On November 6, 2018, he defeated Republican Jeff Johnson, 53.84% to 42.43%. On November 8, 2022, he defeated Republican Scott Jensen, 52.3% to 44.6%.[^2] ### Tenure Walz took the oath on January 7, 2019. He was sworn in alongside Lieutenant Governor [[Peggy Flanagan]], Secretary of State [[Steve Simon]], State Auditor Julie Blaha and Attorney General [[Keith Ellison]], all Democrats.[^2] As governor he is the appointing authority for DHS, MDE and DEED.[^1] Presidents of both parties gave him federal roles. Donald Trump appointed him to the bipartisan Council of Governors in 2019, and Joe Biden made him a co-chair in 2021.[^2] During the Democratic trifecta of his second term, Walz signed legislation that: - restored voting rights to people with felony convictions; - extended driver's licenses to residents without lawful immigration status; - legalized cannabis; - provided free school meals; - required universal background checks for gun sales; - codified abortion rights.[^2] ### COVID-19 emergency and Feeding Our Future The project's Time Table records the following sequence for the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]: - March 13, 2020: Walz declared a peacetime emergency under Executive Order 20-1. - March 15: schools closed. - March 16: bars and restaurants closed. - March 25: a stay-at-home order was issued.[^8] The same Time Table row records that the emergency declarations triggered federal waivers. USDA waivers in child nutrition programs removed the in-person meal-service requirement, and CMS waivers covered Medicaid verification.[^8] In April 2021 the state resumed payments to [[Feeding Our Future]] after court proceedings in Ramsey County. The Time Table, citing Fox 9, records that Walz later said a court had ordered the payments, while the judge said they were voluntary.[^9] The House staff report found that the state voluntarily resumed the funding, according to Yahoo News's reporting on the report.[^5][^10] ### George Floyd protests On May 30, 2020, CBS News reported that Walz had fully mobilized the state's National Guard. CBS described this as the first full mobilization in the state's history, during the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd.[^11][^12] ### Stated stewardship and the House findings On September 15, 2025, the governor's office announced that Minnesota had received AAA ratings from all three credit rating agencies for a fourth consecutive year.[^13] The release quoted Moody's on the state's "high fund balances, modest long-term leverage and high degree of financial flexibility." It also quoted S&P on "the state's robust financial management framework." The release stated that Minnesota was one of sixteen states rated AAA by all three agencies.[^13] In August 2025 the [[City of Minneapolis]] announced AAA ratings from all three agencies for a second straight year.[^14] The House Oversight majority staff report dated June 8, 2026 estimated roughly $300 million lost in federal child nutrition funds. It also estimated "potentially $9 billion in Medicaid-related funds lost or at serious risk."[^6][^15] ### 2026 election A June 2025 [[The Minnesota Star Tribune]] poll found 45% of respondents saying Walz should seek reelection and 49% saying he should not.[^2] He announced a third-term candidacy on September 16, 2025, and withdrew on January 5, 2026, according to Wikipedia.[^2] The project's Time Table instead dates his announcement that he would not seek re-election to January 5, 2025, citing the Star Tribune.[^4] The [[Star Tribune]] reported that [[Amy Klobuchar]] unveiled an anti-fraud plan as a candidate in the governor's race.[^16] ## 2024 vice presidential campaign Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, and on July 22, 2024, Walz endorsed Kamala Harris.[^2] On August 6 Harris named him her running mate, and the Democratic National Committee certified his candidacy the same day.[^2][^3][^17] He accepted the nomination on August 21, 2024, at the Democratic National Convention.[^2] During the campaign, Vance accused Walz of "stolen valor." Rolling Stone disputed the accusation.[^18][^19] The Harris–Walz ticket lost to Trump and Vance.[^2] ## Personal life Walz and Gwen Whipple married on June 4, 1994. Walz was raised Catholic and became a Lutheran after the marriage.[^2] In 1995 he was arrested in Chadron, Nebraska, for driving 96 mph in a 55 mph zone. According to arrest records, he failed a field sobriety test and tested above the legal blood-alcohol limit.[^2][^20] In 1996 he pleaded guilty to a reduced reckless-driving charge, was fined $200, and had his license suspended for 30 days.[^2] ## Awards and decorations In 2017 the National Farmers Union gave Walz its Golden Triangle Award. In 2026 he received the Joan and Walter Mondale Award for Public Service.[^2] ## Active matters **DOJ lawsuit.** Release No. 26-21 of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, dated January 14, 2026, announced a lawsuit against the State.[^7] The release states that Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance. Its title applies the United States' term "Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime" to the State's apparatus.[^7] The project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages finds no other U.S. state so described. The record reviewed does not carry the docket number, the claims pleaded, or the case's status. **Oversight referral.** The project's validated master records two further steps after the House staff report.[^6] - Committee Chairman Comer transmitted the report to Vice President Vance by letter dated June 7, 2026. - Vance's referral to Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the [[National Fraud Enforcement Division]] was reported on June 8, 2026. The project's validation has not pinned the referral letter's own date to a primary copy. The record reviewed does not establish the referral's disposition. ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - The majority staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform wrote the staff report whose title names Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.[^5] ### When - The original 54-page version of the staff report was released March 4, 2026.[^5] - The expanded 205-page staff report is dated June 8, 2026.[^6] ### Where - The project's dossier review reports that the June 2026 report is framed statewide. The review found no reference by name to Hennepin County, Minneapolis, or the [[Hennepin County Attorney's Office]].[^6] ### How much - The June 2026 report estimated roughly $300 million lost in federal child nutrition funds and up to $9 billion in Medicaid-related funds lost or at serious risk.[^6] ## Notes [^1]: Office of the Governor of Minnesota, *Governor Tim Walz* (office page) — Walz as sitting governor and appointing authority for DHS, MDE and DEED. https://mn.gov/governor/ [^2]: Wikipedia, *Tim Walz* (revid 1374892940, retrieved 2026-10-25) — biographical, electoral, tenure and campaign facts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Walz [^3]: NPR, *Kamala Harris taps Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz* (Aug. 6, 2024) — Harris's selection of Walz as running mate. https://www.npr.org/2024/08/06/nx-s1-5057604/tim-walz-harris-vice-president [^4]: Star Tribune, *Behind Tim Walz's decision to drop out of the governor's race* — cited by the project's Time Table (row TL-0932) for Walz's announcement that he would not seek re-election. https://www.startribune.com/behind-tim-walzs-decision-to-drop-out-of-the-governors-race/601559952 [^5]: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Majority Staff, *The Cost of Doing Nothing: How Tim Walz and Keith Ellison Fueled Minnesota's Fraud Explosion* (March 4, 2026; 54 pp.) — original staff report, its title and authorship. https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-Cost-of-Doing-Nothing_How-Tim-Walz-and-Keith-Ellison-Fueled-Minnesotas-Fraud-Explosion_3.4.26_FINAL.pdf [^6]: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Majority Staff, *The Cost of Doing Nothing: How Tim Walz and Keith Ellison Fueled Minnesota's Fraud Explosion* (June 8, 2026; 205 pp.) — expanded report and its loss estimates; the report Chairman Comer's June 7, 2026 transmittal accompanied, per the project's validated master. https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MN-Fraud-Final-Staff-Report.pdf [^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, release No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026) — the lawsuit announcement, its title, and Attorney General Bondi's certification. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^8]: Office of the Governor of Minnesota, executive-order page (URL dated 2020-04-08, "eo-20-20") — cited by the project's Time Table (row TL-0878) for the March 13, 2020 declaration under Executive Order 20-1 and the ensuing closures and waivers. https://mn.gov/governor/news/executiveorders/2020-04-08-eo-20-20/ [^9]: Fox 9, *Feeding Our Future fraud timeline* — cited by the project's Time Table (row TL-0908) for the April 2021 resumption of payments. https://www.fox9.com/news/feeding-our-future-fraud-timeline [^10]: Yahoo News, *Minnesota fraud report: Walz staffers* — reports the House finding that the state voluntarily resumed Feeding Our Future funding. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/minnesota-fraud-report-walz-staffers-224139852.html [^11]: CBS News, *Minnesota Governor Tim Walz fully mobilizes state's National Guard for first time in history* (May 30, 2020) — the mobilization. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tim-walz-minnesota-governor-fully-mobilizes-national-guard-first-time-in-history-george-floyd-death-protests/ [^12]: NPR, *How Tim Walz handled the George Floyd protests* (Aug. 13, 2024) — the governor's response to the protests. https://www.npr.org/2024/08/13/nx-s1-5069752/how-tim-walz-handled-the-george-floyd-protests-as-the-governor-of-minnesota [^13]: Office of Governor Tim Walz, *Minnesota Earns AAA Rating from All Three Credit Rating Agencies for Fourth Consecutive Year* (Sept. 15, 2025) — the ratings announcement and the quoted agency language. https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/?id=1055-705803 [^14]: City of Minneapolis, *AAA ratings* (Aug. 2025) — the city's AAA ratings from all three agencies, second straight year. https://www.minneapolismn.gov/news/2025/august/aaa-ratings [^15]: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, *Oversight Committee Releases Bombshell Report Exposing Rampant Fraud Plaguing Minnesota's Taxpayer-Funded Social Programs* (release) — the committee's announcement of its report. https://oversight.house.gov/release/oversight-committee-releases-bombshell-report-exposing-rampant-fraud-plaguing-minnesotas-taxpayer-funded-social-programs/ [^16]: Star Tribune, *Amy Klobuchar unveils anti-fraud plan in governor race as she works to distinguish herself from Tim Walz* — Klobuchar's anti-fraud plan. https://www.startribune.com/amy-klobuchar-unveils-anti-fraud-plan-in-governor-race-as-she-works-to-distinguish-herself-from-tim-walz/601835267 [^17]: CBC News, *Kamala Harris chooses Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as running mate* — the selection. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/harris-running-mate-walz-1.7286027 [^18]: The Daily Beast, *JD Vance Accuses 24-Year Army Veteran Tim Walz of 'Stolen Valor'* — Vance's accusation. https://www.thedailybeast.com/jd-vance-slams-vip-rival-walz-for-stolen-valor/ [^19]: Rolling Stone, *JD Vance's "Stolen Valor" Claim Against Tim Walz Is Total B.S.* — the dispute of Vance's accusation. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/tim-walz-falsely-accused-stolen-valor-jd-vance-1235075718/ [^20]: The Daily Beast, *Cop: I Arrested Tim Walz for DUI* — the 1995 arrest. https://www.thedailybeast.com/cop-i-arrested-tim-walz-for-dui-why-did-his-aide-lie-about-it/