ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz won’t seek Minnesota’s open U.S. Senate seat next year and is instead considering a run for a third term as governor, the Democrat’s spokesman announced Wednesday.
“He loves his job as governor,” Walz’s spokesman Teddy Tschann said in a written statement.
The former vice presidential candidate announced his decision nearly two weeks after U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat, announced she would not seek reelection in 2026. Walz was among a flurry of those from both major political parties who then began testing the waters for the state’s first open Senate race since 2006.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said soon after Smith’s announcement that she was running. Other Democrats considering runs include U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar and Angie Craig,Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Secretary of State Steve Simon. Walz’s office indicated he does not plan to endorse any candidate in a Senate primary race.
Even before Smith’s announcement, Democrats faced an uphill battle to regain control of the Senate, where Republicans are using their 53-47 to back President Donald Trump’s agenda. Smith’s retirement will deprive Democrats of an incumbent as they try to recruit candidates for races in states that will likely be tougher for them to win.
Walz rose to national prominence last year when Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris tapped him as her running mate.
He would become the state’s longest-serving governor if he wins and completes a third term. The last Minnesota governor to serve three terms was Democrat Rudy Perpich, whose terms were not consecutive. He left office in 1991.
No Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006 when GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty was reelected, but the traditionally Democratic state has become increasingly competitive in recent years. A couple of GOP candidates came close to winning statewide races in 2022.
Republican Royce White, a conservative critic of the party establishment and former NBA player who lost to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024, had already said he would challenge Smith in 2026 and is staying in the race. Retired Navy SEAL and former congressional candidate Adam Schwarze has also said he’s running.
Other potential Republican candidates include retired sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, state Sens. Karin Housley and Julia Coleman, state Rep. Kristin Robbins, former state auditor candidate Ryan Wilson and attorney Chris Madel. Coleman is the daughter-in-law of former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, the last Republican to hold one of Minnesota’s two Senate seats.