WASHINGTON — The race for Governor has added another big name to the list. Minnesota Congressman Tim Walz has confirmed that he will indeed seek to replace Governor Mark Dayton, who will end his tenure at the end of 2018. Walz, who represents southern Minnesota has been on the fence for several weeks on whether he would run or not.
According to a KSTP report in late March, Walz was expected to make a formal announcement for Governor, but was delayed following the debate and vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA).
In an interview with the Post-Bulletin, Walz said: “I think now more than ever people are just wanting (government) to work. They are not looking for the partisanship. They are not looking for me to have all the answers, but they are certainly looking for me to bring people together to find those solutions that we all know are there.”
The Post-Bulletin reports Walz will be headed to St. Paul Monday afternoon to officially file his paperwork.
Walz, a six-term congressman, barely hung on to his seat during the 2016 election against Republican challenger Jim Hagedorn, winning by less than one percent.
Born in Nebraska, Walz spent most of his life in the military, serving 24 years in the Army National Guard as Command Sergeant Major. According to his House biography, “Walz is the highest ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress.”
Walz received his Bachelor’s Degree from Chadron State College and was a high school teacher in China, before teaching High School in Nebraska during the early 1990’s. He taught at Mankato High School in the mid-to-late 1990’s after moving to Minnesota with his wife. Walz first won election in 2006.
He joins a long list of high-profile Democrats to enlist in the race including St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, State Auditor Rebecca Otto, and State Rep. Erin Murphy (St. Paul).
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Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
