Tim Walz's daughter explains what led to his decision to drop out

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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.

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Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz celebrates with his daughter Hope Walz after accepting the Democratic vice presidential nomination on Aug. 21, 2024. (Justin Sullivan/Getty)

"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.

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The case has already resulted in 78 indictments and 57 convictions, with prosecutors also charging defendants in a separate alleged plot to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash, Patel said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.

Walz has come under pressure from President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers over the Feeding Our Future fraud case, one of the largest pandemic-era fraud schemes in the nation, and broader allegations that state agencies failed to adequately oversee Minnesota-administered social service programs.

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He said in a press release announcing the end of his re-election campaign that his decision reflected a desire to prioritize governing and the challenges facing Minnesota.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz holds a news conference at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

"I know this news may come as a surprise. But I’m passing on the race with zero sadness and zero regret. After all, I didn’t run for this job so I could have this job. I ran for this job so I could do this job," Walz explained. "Minnesota faces an enormous challenge this year. And I refuse to spend even one minute of 2026 doing anything other than rising to meet the moment. Minnesota has to come first – always."

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His daughter added that part of her father’s decision to step away was to get the "target" off Minnesota.

"I think he believes if he's not in the race, there's nothing, they [Republicans] have nothing else because he has that, you know, national profile," she said. "Trump just hates him for some reason. I think it's because he's everything Trump will never be."