Gov. Tim Walz eyes his future as agenda stalls, influence wanes at Capitol

Tim Walz's final legislative session has the feel of a governor on the way out.

His agenda is sputtering, his clout is fading and his focus is shifting as he figures out what, exactly, he will do next. As the session nears its end, Walz's push for new gun restrictions, tax changes and relief for businesses hit by Operation Metro Surge is trapped in legislative purgatory. Republicans have nothing to fear from Walz and have little regard for adding to his legacy.

Some GOP lawmakers jeered when Walz mentioned certain policy proposals at his final State of the State address.

"I still have eight months," Walz told lawmakers. "I intend to use every hour of every day to make as much progress as we possibly can."

GOP leaders have questioned Walz's engagement in the session's final stretch, however. They noted he didn't start meeting with them until mid-April and recently left the state to speak at a conference in Spain and appear on Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show in California. The session began in February and ends on May 18.

"Lame duck governor personified," House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, wrote on social media.

But Walz has been meeting with legislative leaders consistently of late, and his aides have sat in for him when he's been away. House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson said Walz has "provided real leadership" during his final session, emphasizing the importance of passing an amended budget that is fiscally responsible.

"He's been very focused on ensuring that he leaves the state in sound fiscal position," Stephenson said.

At the same time, Walz has been preparing for life after office, recently launching a federal political action committee to support rural Democrats and announcing he is writing a book inspired by Operation Metro Surge.

Former DFL state Sen. Jeff Hayden said he thinks Walz has come to accept his political reality with a tied House and narrowly DFL-controlled Senate. Most of Walz's top priorities are "nonstarters for Republicans," he said.

Still, Hayden said, it's fair to question the governor's activities as the session winds down: "Can we get the governor to stay home and really focus on these deals?"

Walz has repeatedly bumped into a particular dynamic in his final year: With a divided Legislature and competing priorities within his own party, his ability to translate proposals into law is increasingly constrained.

He was initially adamant that lawmakers vote on new firearm restrictions following the August mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, warning that Republicans "are going to take votes on protecting our children or they're not going to get anything else done."

Within months, Walz softened his tone and accepted that proposals to ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines would probably not reach the floor in the tied House.

"I'm still hopeful. But look, I'm a realist," Walz told reporters in April.

The DFL-controlled Senate is still expected to vote on the bills.

A similar story has unfolded with legislation that would provide economic relief to businesses that lost revenue during the monthslong Operation Metro Surge. Walz and DFL legislative leaders are aligned in support, but Republicans in the House stand opposed.

Some of his ideas have also run into resistance in his own party.

While top DFL lawmakers embraced a proposed tax on social media companies, they have not fully aligned behind the governor's broader tax package.

Senate Taxes Committee Chair Ann Rest included the social media tax, which she was the first to propose, in a broader bill. But the New Hope Democrat left out Walz's proposals to expand a child care credit and trim the statewide sales tax.

There are possible bright spots for his agenda, depending on how he uses his remaining political capital in the final weeks of session.

Demuth told reporters that Republicans are still open to looking at Walz's proposal to expand a tax credit to help families cover child care costs. But she said the state's budget outlook is tight and lawmakers would have to find a way to pay for it.

While some of Walz's early priorities have faded away, he and legislative leaders have recently coalesced around a few key areas that have bipartisan support.

They include a bonding bill to fund public works projects, anti-fraud measures and aid for the financially distressed Hennepin County Medical Center.

"He's been very clear that fraud should be the top priority this year," Stephenson said of Walz.

Walz's final year has been marred by allegations of widespread fraud in the state's social services programs. The scandal has brought national attention to Minnesota, tarnishing Walz's image. The governor abandoned his re-election campaign in January as scrutiny of the state's response intensified.

The actions taken by Walz and the Legislature in the session's closing days could possibly shape how his final chapter in office is remembered.

Walz's most ambitious anti-fraud proposal, to centralize the administration of Medicaid services at the state level, has not gained traction. But other measures included in his budget plan, such as modernizing decades-old IT systems, expanding existing fraud-fighting resources and creating a statewide Office of Inspector General, are still in play.

The Office of Inspector General measure was first proposed by a group of DFL and GOP lawmakers. It passed the Senate last year and, after extensive negotiations, is now heading for a vote in the House.

"The inspector general is not really [Walz's] initiative," said Steven Schier, a political scientist and Carleton College professor emeritus. "But he would be part of the solution here."

Schier said Walz's final-year agenda has collided with the harsh reality of a gridlocked Legislature whose members are looking ahead to the fall election. At the same time, Schier also questioned how hard Walz has pushed for his priorities.

As legislative leaders met for another round of negotiations on Friday, Walz traveled to Maine to campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner. Such excursions have prompted Walz's critics to question his engagement in past years, too.

"He sees himself as an important and consequential messenger for the national party," Schier said. "And he's continuing to do that while in session."

"In some ways, there's a continuity, in that his focus has never been on ... legislative details."

_____

Nathaniel Minor of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.

_____

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 12:02 PM.