Jessica Tezoquipa, news editor

Governor Tim Walz, during his “exit interview,” accepted blame for Minnesota’s social services fraud, but claimed it should not define his political career, according to Star Tribune. This took place on Sept. 22 at the North Star Summit at the Guthrie Theatre, a platform for the Midwest’s leaders and influencers to speak and share ideas. Walz took responsibility for not doing enough to stop the fraud in the state, but wishes Minnesota remembers him for all the policies his administration enacted to make Minnesota “the best state in the country to raise a child.”

This interview comes after he announced he would not be bidding for reelection in this year’s midterm for governor of Minnesota, and after he lost the race as the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party’s vice president nominee alongside former vice president, Kamala Harris, in the 2024 election. Walz stated he would rather spend his time in office confronting the fraud in the state, saying, “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,” according to NBC News. 

With the fraud scandal tainting his image, his approval ratings have dropped below 39% according to a poll conducted by the Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy Inc. for KARE 11, the Star Tribune, and the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Also, according to a poll done by the Star Tribune and the University of Minnesota, 49% of respondents shared they feel that Tim Walz should not run for a third term. 

President Trump has largely blamed the Somali community, calling them “garbage” and saying “they contribute nothing,” according to CBS News. And while receiving much scrutiny, Gov. Walz defended his administration at the time, saying “we’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters” and stating Trump is “politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.” 

In January, Walz met with Amy Klobuchar and encouraged her to run for governor. In the Minnesota primary in August, Klobuchar won the democratic nomination, with Lisa Demuth winning the republican nomination.

According to the Star Tribune, Federal prosecutors have stated that currently documented fraud in Minnesota reaches a few hundred million dollars, but could reach billions of dollars once fully uncovered. Previously, Walz stated at a news conference at the Capitol, “It’s speculating, to extrapolate what that number is for sensationalism, or to make statements about it, it doesn’t really help us.”