Conservative Minnesotans had Tim Walz’s number from the beginning, and when he moved from Congress to the governor’s mansion, even more voters learned he wasn’t what he said he was.
Being selected as Kamala Harris’s vice presidential running mate in 2024 only expanded the universe of those who realized Walz was way over his head in politics and government to a national level. He embarrassed the Democratic ticket, already mortally weakened at the top, with his quirky campaign appearances and speeches.
Since it became a state in 1858, the Gopher State has alternated between periods of electing Republicans and Democrats (the Minnesota Democrat Party is officially called the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, or DFL). It has produced more than its share of national figures, including Floyd B. Olsen, Harold Stassen, Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, and the improbable Jesse Ventura. It also produced noted congressional figures such as Bill Frenzel, Martin Sabo, Vin Weber, Tim Penny, and the current House majority whip, Tom Emmer.
Walz had no accomplishments or the skills of these figures, but his timing of leaving his high school coaching job to run for Congress and beyond was perfectly timed for one of Minnesota’s “blue” periods. (No Republican has won statewide since 2006.)
Now, however, Minnesotans’ pride in their state has been dashed by an enormous scandal of widespread fraud largely perpetrated by some recent immigrants to the state. This fraud went uninvestigated by Governor Walz’s administration and DFL Attorney General Keith Ellison despite several warnings and signs that something improper was going on.
Federal authorities, including the acting U.S. Attorney, have uncovered an expanding list of fraud cases which includes up to $9 billion in Medicaid fraud alone. The story was virtually ignored or heavily downplayed by the local establishment media, including the state’s largest daily newspaper.
But widely read conservative websites, think tanks, and individual journalists sounded the alarm, and the news story was picked up nationally. Even some very liberal and Democrat-biased newspapers and broadcast networks have begun to run critical articles. Minnesota fraud has become the number one news story in the U.S. and made the state the laughingstock of the nation.
Because of the magnitude of the fraud and the fact that Tim Walz is involved, the story is now a major international news story.
So far, neither Governor Walz, Attorney General Ellison, nor any other DFL official have been accused of direct involvement in any of the fraud cases, nor is there any evidence of it. But there is growing widespread criticism of them for ignoring the problem despite so many signs of it having existed for so long.
The immigrant community from which so much fraud has occurred has reportedly contributed substantial sums to the DFL Party and DFL candidates, and has routinely supplied DFL candidates with overwhelming voter support.
No less a figure than Elon Musk has already called on Walz to resign. A local voter has just begun circulating a petition for the governor to resign as well, and claims already to have about 10,000 signatures. Five GOP state legislators have additionally just called for the governor’s resignation. Republican candidates for governor are making Walz’s response to fraud their leading issue. The Minnesota Constitution has provisions for the recall of the governor.
The federal Small Business Administration, Homeland Security, FBI, and the Department of Justice are now in the state investigating fraud allegations. Some federal funds to the state have been suspended.
Walz has already announced he will run for a third term in 2026, and no one in his party has announced plans to oppose him for the nomination.
No one has ever won three four-year terms as Minnesota governor, and with Walz’s growing current problems arising from the fraud cases, and his dismal and worsening poll numbers, he is not likely to win next November. With Attorney General Ellison also slated to be on the ballot in 2026, the prospects grow for a landslide Republican win of all statewide offices — and possibly the pick-up of the 2nd District congressional seat.
Lacking a formidable untainted alternative, the DFL is in no hurry to replace Walz at the top of the ticket next year. But if the petition now circulating calling for him to resign were to gain significantly more signatures, and if details of the various frauds continue to dominate the news, Walz and his DFL Party might have to make some unpleasant decisions in the new year.
Herald Boas is an AMAC Newsline contributor.
