What will happen to Tim Walz after Donald Trump’s win of presidential election?

After a meteoric rise, Gov. Walz is back home in St. Paul

MINNEAPOLIS — Former President Donald Trump’s projected win of the presidency has many in Minnesota wondering what the next steps will be for Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

Vice President Kamala Harris gave her concession speech Wednesday afternoon from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Though Walz did not speak at the event, he was asked what was next as he left the rally. His reply: “Minnesota.”

Walz, 60, returned to his state Wednesday evening to continue to serve his second term as governor of Minnesota. Peggy Flanagan, who would have stepped into the governorship had Walz’s ticket won, will remain lieutenant governor. 

Walz has two years left on his term. For the remainder of the term, he may have a harder time getting policies passed compared to the accomplishments made during the landmark 2023 session.

As of now, control for the Minnesota House is up in the air after Republicans were able to flip three seats, with several other races likely heading to a recount — meaning the Democratic “trifecta” of power in the state is in doubt.

Larry Jacobs, a politics professor at the University of Minnesota, took it a step further.

“The wheels of the DFL progressive bus just came to a screeching halt,” he said. “The DFL is not going to be able to move big budgets and big programmatic ideas as they did in 2023. The Republicans are either going to have a tie in the House, in which case they can stymie things, or they’ll have the majority in which they’ll vote down whatever the DFL sends them that involves more taxes, more spending, more regulation. So this is a big, big win for the Republicans.”

Walz has not indicated whether or not he would run again for governor of Minnesota if his vice presidential bid failed. 

Walz releases statement

Following Trump’s win, Walz released a statement on social media.

“Thank you Vice President Kamala Harris for putting your faith in me, and selecting me as your running mate. Campaigning at your side was the honor and privilege of my life. While the outcome is not what we wanted, I am grateful to the millions of Americans who joined our campaign and stood up for our greatest ideals: decency, compassion, and love of our neighbor. Now more than ever, we need you to continue fighting for those values and the country we all love.”

What is Walz’s likely path as a politician at this point?

Hamline University professor and political expert David Schultz told WCCO he believes not only has Walz’s path for national politics most likely ended, but his path in Minnesota politics is also “just about coming to an end.” 

At the state level, Walz’s prospects of winning a third term as governor don’t look promising. 

“With the exception of Rudy Perpich, no governor in Minnesota since post-WWII has successfully run and been elected to a third term as governor,” Schultz said. “The chances of him deciding to run and win become complicated for him.” 

At a national level, Schultz said analysts will be looking for reasons why Harris lost. 

“Some are going to point to Walz as the choice for vice president. … That he didn’t resonate with those voters in Pennsylvania or Wisconsin or Michigan. That becomes one issue to think about here,” Schultz said. 

It’s true that oftentimes, vice presidents eventually run for president — such as Walter Mondale and Hubert Humphrey — but that’s after they have already been part of a winning ticket on the national level. 

Schultz also notes the percentage of the popular vote that Walz has received has steadily gone down since he first ran for governor. That also includes the 2024 presidential election. 

“Harris got a fewer percentage of the vote than Presiden Biden did, wins fewer counties than Biden did, so I think his path in terms of a future in Minnesota politics is difficult,” Schultz said. 

Walz provided a final address on a national platform before the election on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Monday night, where he underscored the Harris campaign’s focus on Pennsylvania, the hotly contested battleground state that Trump eventually won, along with its 19 electoral votes. 

During a rally in La Crosse, Wisconsin earlier that day, Walz told the audience that if Harris and he defeat Trump, voters “aren’t ever going to have to see this guy on TV again and listen to him.”

Walz stressed the future of American democracy is at stake.

“The thing is upon us now, folks. I know there is a lot of anxiety. The decisions over the next 24-36 hours will shape not just the next four years, they will shape the coming generations,” Walz said.

During his time as governor, Walz experienced several major crises. In his first term, he faced harsh criticism from Republicans amid the dual dilemmas of the COVID-19 pandemic and the violent uprising that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.

Before serving as governor, Walz led Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2006 to 2019. Prior to his political career, the Nebraska native served in the Army National Guard for nearly a quarter century.