YouTuber Nick Shirley: 'I ended Tim Walz’ after governor ends reelection bid

Walz drops out of MN governor's race

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will not seek reelection for a third term as governor. Walz's announcement comes as he faces growing national criticism from President Donald Trump, among others, for his handling of fraud in Minnesota. Republican opponents have accused Walz of being slow to respond to the fraud.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - YouTube influencer Nick Shirley has made the rounds in the Twin Cities the past few weeks, reportedly exposing millions of dollars in fraud within Somali-run day cares in Minneapolis.

In his own words Monday, Shirley believes he’s the reason Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is not seeking a third term in the post.

Walz’s announcement comes as he faces growing national criticism from President Donald Trump, among others, for his handling of fraud in Minnesota. Republican opponents have accused Walz of being slow to respond to the fraud.

According to political analyst Blois Olson, Walz had also faced pressure from his Democrat colleagues to make a decision on his 2026 run.

MN GOP worked with YouTuber investigation

In the days that have followed a viral video illustrating potential day care fraud in Minnesota, Minnesota GOP leaders, including House Speaker and governor candidate Rep. Lisa Demuth, have confirmed they were aware of the efforts of YouTuber Nick Shirley prior to the video being released. FOX 9’s Soyoung Kim has the details.

‘I ended Tim Walz’

What they're saying:

Shirley posted to X Monday morning, "I ENDED TIM WALZ."

Walz announced at an 11 a.m. news conference that he’s not seeking a third term as Minnesota's governor. 

"We’ve got Republicans here in the legislature playing hide-and-seek with whistleblowers. We’ve got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children. We’ve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating childcare funding that Minnesotans rely on. "It is disgusting. And it is dangerous," Walz said Monday in part of his news conference.

Walz has been in office since January 2019 and dealt with major hurdles such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and widespread rioting after the death of George Floyd in May 2020.

Most recently, Minnesota taxpayers are growing frustrated and angry over their money being lost to widespread fraud in several high-profile state programs. Shirley believes his social media influence is part of Walz’s decision not to seek reelection.

DHS investigating widespread fraud at MN daycares

The Department of Homeland Security says it is sending its investigators on "door-to-door" visits to "suspected fraud sites" in Minnesota as part of a crackdown effort. FOX 9's Mary McGuire has the story.

Last week, Shirley returned to a Somali-run Minneapolis day care after a YouTube video exposing potential fraud went viral. Shirley appeared outside Quality Learning Center, and at the time, children and staff were inside the building.

Shirley accuses Lisa Demuth of ‘clout chasing’

Dig deeper:

In a virtual meeting addressing fraud, Minnesota Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth says they worked with Shirley on some of his video. Shirley accused Demuth of "clout chasing."

After the video was posted, Minnesota House Speaker Demuth, who is also a GOP candidate for Minnesota Governor, said, "Our caucus has been working to expose fraud for years, including working with Nick Shirley and agency whistle-blowers to get the information out to the public and to hold the Walz administration accountable." 

On Tuesday, Dec. 30, the Minnesota DFL posted that House Speaker Demuth "bragged that she used her position as Speaker to collaborate with a YouTube conspiracy theorist and spread disinformation that would help her campaign." 

On Thursday, Jan. 1, Minnesota House Speaker Demuth said in a Facebook post that Shirley "deserves all the credit" for bringing attention to the fraud in Minnesota.