Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says he will not seek re-election

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said on Monday that he will be ending his bid for re-election amid a fraud scandal in the state that had recently become the focus of US President Donald Trump.

Walz, who ran for vice president alongside Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2024, said he decided to step out of the race to "focus on the work" of governor rather than a campaign.

Republicans have criticised Walz for his handling of fraud involving the state's social safety net programmes. Walz has said that his government is taking measures to prevent future fraud.

Among the critics was Trump, whose administration had recently frozen federal funds for childcare in Minnesota.

In his statement on Monday, Walz described the past year as an "extraordinarily difficult" one for his state.

"For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take advantage of our state's generosity," Walz said.

He also accused Trump and his Republican allies of seeking to take advantage of the crisis and playing politics.

"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," Walz said.

"They've already begun by taking our tax dollars that were meant to help families afford child care. And they have no intention of stopping there."

Walz said he made the decision to halt his campaign after consulting his family and team.

"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," he said.

The decision came just four months after Walz announced his intention to run for an unprecedented third term as governor.

Walz had faced intensifying scrutiny over fraud in state programmes. Among them was Medicaid, where prosecutors said fraud had cost the state around $9bn (£6.7bn).

In another case, dozens of people were charged with felonies and accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from Covid-19 relief programmes.

A total of 59 people have been convicted in fraud schemes so far, federal prosecutors have said.

In late December, the Trump administration announced that it would withhold childcare funding for the state, after a conservative YouTuber alleged that several nurseries run by Somali immigrants were taking public money without providing care.

State officials have pushed back against allegations of fraud in the video. BBC's US partner CBS News found no evidence of fraud when it reviewed public records for the centres, although it did find citations related to safety, cleanliness, equipment, and staff training.

Minnesota, home to the largest population of Somali immigrants in the US, has been the focus of immigration enforcement by Trump, who has said that he does not want them in the country.

With Walz stepping aside from the race, it is unclear so far who will run for governor from the Democratic Party in the upcoming election. Democrats have won every statewide office in Minnesota since 2006.

Around a dozen Republicans have jumped in the race, including MyPillow founder and chief executive Mike Lindell, who is a Trump ally, as well as Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.

Prior to joining politics, Walz was an Army National Guard member and teacher.