National & Minnesota Report
We first wrote this article on Feb 19, 2025, Why Walz and DFLers Need to Realistically Assess Their Political Opportunities. We followed it up with this piece on June 27, 2025, Walz and Reelection. Social Media has produced a steady churn of anti-Walz material, and with so much blood in the water, the sharks have continued to circle. The resulting reality appears to be, Walz will be the fall boy for the fraud scandal.
We have heard the Walz Camp, were polling on the question, and have expected the news would be bleak. The conversations we have had with people close to the source, made mention of the fact, it was likely only his wife Gwen and daughter Hope and other people too close to be objective, who were providing support for a reelection bid.
On December 30th, the Star Tribune published a number of Letters to the Editor, which included the following from a worthy, retired, and well-respected former media source David Nimmer, the entirety of the letter is published below. Readers Write: Fraud, Christmas Ornaments.
With all indicators leading to this conclusion, the question which arises is who on the DFL side will seek the office. The list is not long, but some automatic names which would likely appear include, Lt Governor Peggy Flanagan (DFL-MN), but she has already announced her campaign for Sen Tina Smith’s (DFL-MN) the vacant US Senate Seat, besides we doubt she would be able to being soiled by this fraud issue because of her close proximity and aggressive claims of a partnership with Walz throughout their two-terms in office. Another is, Attorney General Keith Ellison (DFL-MN), but he may carry some of the residual carry over, and he like Walz has not had a dominant statewide performance number securing a mere 50.37% in 2022. This also bring to mind the acronym ABG, All But Governor, and the number of people who have tried to ascend from the state’s top lawyer to the state’s top office, which has not been very fruitful across the nation.
We have heard the other US Senator’s name, Sen Amy Klobuchar (DFL-MN) bandied about previously and her time in Washington DC and distance from this issue could be an asset. Her polling numbers which used to be metoric, have taken a hit with the existence of Donald J Trump (R) on the ballot and being factor in all elections since 2016. In 2024, she carried the state with 56.20%, versus 60.31% in 2018, and 65.23% in 2012.
We have thought the best name to consider being Sen John Hoffman (DFL-34, Champlin). He has shown a fiery spirit prior to the tragedy of the shooting he and his wife Yvette suffered along with the assassination of Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman (DFL-MN), her husband Mark and their dog Gilbert.
In spite of the announcement of his intention to seek reelection to the state Senate last weekend, we have advanced his name. As a survivor of gun violence, and someone who has clearly shown his willingness to the hard work in the legislature, regularly carry a huge weight of legislative bills, he is well-versed in the issues of concern for Minnesotans statewide.
It appears an old sentence might again have new life. “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party,” which was a touch typing drill created by Charles E. Weller.
Text of the Nimmer Letter.
Gov. Walz, thanks for your service to the state of Minnesota. I voted for you twice, believing you show compassion, concern and courage in trying to improve the human condition. I also admire your honesty: Your personal net worth reflects the world I live in, not that of multimillionaires, technology manipulators or “media influencers” who garner attention.
But, governor, it’s over — time for you to step aside. The bureaucracy in your administration has failed in a significant way. Whether the welfare fraud is millions or billions of dollars, it is egregious. And the buck stops at your desk. No matter how skilled the media influencer is, he or she cannot tie up a pretty, or believable, package. It’s happened on your watch and you spent part of your watch on the last year away from Minnesota, crisscrossing the country running for vice president.
So you know what happens, governor, when you wait too long to do the right thing. You damage your party, you ignore the bigger picture, and you leave constituents like me no reasonable choice in the voting booth. Young successors are present in the DFL hierarchy. Let ‘em fight it out. Let ‘em make a case. Give ‘em a chance.
You might be able to excuse Feeding Our Future and the millions squandered by the dozens already convicted or pleading guilty. That should have alerted your administrators to the new welfare programs, which are always subject to trials and troubles before the rules and regulations become bureaucratic rituals.
But it did not. The policy and programs may have their heart in the right place, helping those in poverty or who struggle with disabilities and addictions. The eyes of your administration were not. They missed the red flags federal investigators did not: Feeding Our Future, Housing Stabilization Services (HSS), autism assistance (Medicaid) and child care assistance.
And this list doesn’t include the flawed rollout for the new Real ID driver’s license that cost millions of dollars and resulted in backlogs, delays and replacement issues. The cost for all of this may eventually pale in comparison to the financial largesse heaped on the Trump family from corporations and captains around the world. But this comes in my backyard and is a real departure from the checks and balances I thought we had in Minnesota.
It’s the reality, governor. And as a former news reporter and now senior citizen, I’ve learned something about real life: It’s not always fair. And it’s impossible to ignore if you want to lead a useful and honest life. I know you must have considered bowing out. You have had a great run. But you’ve reached the finish line.
David Nimmer, Oakdale
The writer is a former managing editor of the Minneapolis Star.