Hope Walz, daughter of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, shared why her father decided to drop out of the 2026 gubernatorial race in a wide-ranging podcast interview on Monday.
Speaking to ‘One Hour Detours’ host John O’Sullivan just hours after her father announced that he would not seek a third term, Walz said the decision had been made over the winter holidays.
‘I think just with things rapidly changing in the past, you know, month or so, I think my dad kind of started questioning it,’ said Walz.
She explained that she didn’t want to speak for her father, but said the increasing intensity of public scrutiny, particularly on social media and toward her family, prompted him to reassess his campaign.
‘When things started getting really intense for me, like on my social media, and then people even saying things like to Gus and stuff, I think that’s when he was really like, OK, like I need to evaluate what’s best for the state, and then I need evaluate what’s best for my family. And then I think it was just kind of a natural, you know, the past couple weeks have been really intense, kind of a natural conclusion,’ said Walz.
Gov. Walz’s decision to drop out of the gubernatorial race came amid renewed scrutiny over childcare funding following fraud allegations raised in a viral video by independent journalist Nick Shirley and the large-scale federal Feeding Our Future case.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in December that the Feeding Our Future investigation uncovered a $250 million scheme that siphoned federal food aid intended for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
