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Lt. Gov. Flanagan calls Gov. Walz decision not to seek 3rd term 'selfless'

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Published  January 5, 2026 9:39pm CST
Politics
FOX 9
Lt. Flanagan on Minnesota governor’s race

Lt. Flanagan on Minnesota governor’s race

After Gov. Tim Walz announced he would not be running for a third term on Monday, all eyes are on who might take his place. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni is live at a campaign event in Osseo where Lt. Flanagan is promoting her run for Senate.

The Brief

    • Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said Monday night that Gov. Walz’s decision to abandon his reelection bid was "selfless."
    • Her remarks, at a campaign event in Osseo, came after she released a three-sentence statement earlier in the day.
    • Flanagan said she is not interested in running for governor and will continue her bid for a U.S. Senate seat.

OSSEO, Minn. (FOX 9) - Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan on Monday called Gov. Tim Walz’s decision not to seek a third term "selfless" and suggested that she would support fellow Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar if she were to run for the state’s top job.

Flanagan says Klobuchar would be "formidable" candidate for governor; declines to run herself 

What she said:

After releasing a three-sentence statement earlier in the day, Flanagan on Monday night elaborated on her thoughts about the governor’s race now that Walz is out.

"The governor made a decision that he believes is best for Minnesota," Flanagan said before a campaign event in Osseo. "I’ve been in this race for U.S. Senate for almost a year now and feel really good about the team that we’ve built, the momentum that we have, the endorsements that we’ve collected."

She indicated that she would support Klobuchar if she were to run for governor. 

"I think that she would be an incredible candidate for governor," she said. "She’s got a long track record of delivering for Minnesotans, and I think we’d be well-served by her leadership."

PoliticsElectionMinnesotaTim Walz