Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that he is withdrawing from the 2026 Minnesota governor’s race, citing what he described as political interference and attacks from Republican Party leaders. 

Walz made the announcement on social media, where the post quickly gained traction, drawing more than 30,000 likes on Instagram and 23,000 reactions on Facebook. 

In his statement, the incumbent governor directly blamed President Donald Trump and his allies, both in Washington and in Minnesota, for fueling what he characterized as politically motivated accusations of widespread fraud tied to federal nutrition programs in the state.

According to a 2024 ABC News story, more than 70 people have been charged as part of a “wide-ranging criminal conspiracy” that allegedly exploited two federally funded nutrition programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in more than $250 million in fraudulent claims.

“I won’t mince words here,” Walz wrote. “Donald Trump and his allies — in Washington, in St. Paul, and online — want to make our state a colder, meaner place. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.”

In his announcement, Walz also cited recent reports from Somali American child care center operators in Minnesota who said they have faced violent threats and vandalism after right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a video alleging fraud at their facilities. Following the video’s release, the Trump-Vance administration cut federal child care funding nationwide.

Walz also criticized the federal government’s decision to withhold child care funding from states amid the allegations.

“They’ve already begun by taking our tax dollars that were meant to help families afford child care,” he added. “And they have no intention of stopping there.”

Last week, a Department of Health and Human Services official confirmed that the Trump administration is pausing child care funding to all states following the Minnesota allegations, stating that funds will be released “only when states prove they are being spent legitimately.”

“Republicans are playing politics with the future of our state,” Walz said. “And it’s shameful.”

Walz previously served as the Democratic vice presidential nominee alongside then–Vice President Kamala Harris during her unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign.

Meanwhile, longtime Trump ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell announced in December that he is running for Minnesota governor and has already received Trump’s endorsement.

Walz has been a longtime ally of the LGBTQ community, dating back to 1999, when he served as a football coach and teacher at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minnesota, about 80 miles southwest of Minneapolis.

It is also possible that U. S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is considering entering the race to succeed him.

Two children are dead and 17 others, including 14 children, were wounded after a gunman opened fire at a Catholic school in Minneapolis.

Authorities identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a transgender woman who began shooting inside Annunciation Catholic Church during morning Mass on Wednesday around 8:30 a.m. Westman killed two children, ages eight and 10, and injured three elderly parishioners in addition to the 14 children inside the church.

Police confirmed that Westman legally purchased the weapons used in the attack — a rifle, shotgun, and pistol — had no prior criminal history, and died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to a yearbook obtained by CNN, Westman graduated from Annunciation Catholic’s grade school in 2017. Fox News reported that their mother, Mary Grace Westman, worked at Annunciation Catholic School as a secretary until 2021.

The New York Post reported that Westman left behind a manifesto, suggesting the attack had been carefully planned.

On a YouTube channel under Westman’s name, several videos were scheduled to post around the time of the shooting. The clips showed Westman’s weapons and magazines, some inscribed with phrases such as “kill Donald Trump” and “for the children.” Other videos depicted Westman flipping through a notebook containing antisemitic writings, hand-drawn maps of the school, “defend equality” trans Pride stickers, and references to an admiration for mass shooters — particularly Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook killer. The manifesto itself appears to be written in a code combining Cyrillic characters and English phonetics.

“It’s my strongest desire that no state, no community, no school ever experiences a day like this,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said.

“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.

O’Hara noted that the surviving victims are expected to recover, though they sustained a range of injuries.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also addressed the tragedy, stressing that meaningful changes are needed to prevent another senseless act of violence.

“It can’t just be words — there needs to be action. We’ve seen school shooting after school shooting. We’ve seen church shootings carried out by horrible actors,” Frey said.

He also condemned attempts to exploit the tragedy to target marginalized groups, particularly trans people.

“Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity. We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone.”

National LGBTQ rights organizations echoed the call for compassion for the trans community, while condemning scapegoating.

“We are heartbroken by the devastating shooting in Minneapolis. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families who lost loved ones, the survivors, and the entire community now forced to grieve the unimaginable,” said Brandon Wolf, the Human Rights Campaign’s National Press Secretary and a survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting. “Too many communities have had to live this nightmare too many times. Grief is not enough. For far too long, our nation has endured an avalanche of gun violence — tragedies that could have been prevented with lifesaving, common-sense gun laws that certain lawmakers block at every chance. No child should go to school fearing for their life. And while we don’t yet know all the facts, one thing is clear: scapegoating an entire marginalized community in a moment of national grief is wrong, dangerous, and dehumanizing. This tragedy is part of a devastating and preventable epidemic of gun violence. Enough is enough.”

Kierra Johnson, president of the National LGBTQ Task Force, emphasized unity over division:

“The mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School deserves more than the platitude of ‘thoughts and prayers.’ Predictably, those who rush to say ‘don’t politicize mass shootings’ while the gun is still warm are also quick to demonize transgender people and indict an entire community for the actions of one person. This is a time for compassion — for supporting those grieving — not for fueling division. While many in the LGBTQ community have experienced friction with some religious groups, we must come together to create dialogue and understanding, not further wedges.”

During their meeting Monday, city councilmembers elected their fellow Councilmember Andrea Jenkins to serve as the Minneapolis city council president. She was the first out Black trans woman ever elected to a major city council in 2017.

Jenkins is now the first Out Trans person to hold such an elected position in the nation on a city council, although Lisa Middleton was sworn-in as Palm Springs mayor last month. Middleton became the first out Trans mayor in California and just the third out transgender mayor in U.S. history. The mayor’s office in Palm Springs rotates among councilmembers who serve one-year terms.

The Twin-Cities’ major daily newspaper, The Star Tribune, noted that after the vote Jenkins told the paper: “We have a whole lot of work to do.” She also added; “We represent a diversity of thought, of ideas and solutions to the most pressing issues of our time.”

In 2020, Jenkins became a national figure and leader as protests erupted over the murder of George Floyd , who was killed in her council district. She called his murder “a symbol for a knee on the neck of Black America” and demanded racism be treated as a public health crisis.

Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Institute, released the following statement about Jenkins

“As major cities face unprecedented challenges wrought by the pandemic and incidents of police brutality, Andrea leads her constituents and our country with the calm but steely determination the moment calls for. The unanimous vote from her colleagues is a recognition of that leadership. Andrea is an elected official who serves all, but relentlessly champions those most marginalized, bringing an unmatched ability to spark empathy across divisions and communities. Minneapolis will be a better city with her as president and her history-making election will inspire more trans people to run and lead.”