Last September, Democrat Jake Johnson posted on BlueSky that he was looking forward to campaigning with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz this year. Johnson praised Walz for helping his mother when Walz was a member of Congress.
When my mother couldn't get her VA survivorship benefits in 2008, Congressman Walz HIMSELF called my mother and fixed the situation in under a week. That's what public service can and should look like, and I look forward to campaigning with Governor Walz in 2026.
— Jake Johnson (@jakejohnsonmn.bsky.social) September 16, 2025 at 1:37 PM
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Now, Johnson is running for the House in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, and he was one of the first candidates endorsed by Tim Walz through his PAC called "Small Town PAC." That same PAC also funneled money to Johnson's campaign.
But a lot of things have changed since Johnson's September 2025 BlueSky post. Tim Walz was forced to drop out of his reelection bid after we learned about billions in Minnesota welfare fraud, and Walz has been embroiled in other problems, including his unhinged opposition to ICE and his attempt to pardon a convicted sex offender to protect him from deportation.
The Minnesota Star Tribune just gave a “Cheers” to Tim Walz for standing by his pardon of a convicted child rapist.
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) July 18, 2026
Absolutely disgusting. pic.twitter.com/CbsC1qHlMM
Now Jake Johnson cannot put enough distance between himself and Walz, the man he was once looking forward to campaigning with. Here's what the Minnesota Star Tribune, the same outlet that cheered Walz's pardon, had to say about Johnson's declining Walz's endorsement:
But outside of the PAC’s backing, Johnson said he is not seeking Walz’s personal endorsement in the race and would rather align himself with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running to replace Walz as governor.
“I don’t think that would be helpful, to be honest,” Johnson said when asked if he hopes Walz will endorse him. “We’re running our own race, and we look forward to being much more of a Klobuchar Democrat than a Walz Democrat.”
That's not exactly a winning platform for Johnson, because Klobuchar once bragged about making it easier for fraudsters to send money overseas while cheering the election of Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo in 2017. Klobuchar also waved an upside down American flag at that event.
But what's clear is Johnson was more than fine with the endorsement of Walz's PAC and the money it sent to his campaign, right up until his connections to Walz were possibly damaging to his campaign.
"Democrat Jake Johnson is a far-left activist who puts the radical agenda of Tim Walz ahead of common sense," said NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon. "While Johnson pushes a far-left agenda that would raise taxes and increase costs, Congressman Brad Finstad is fighting for hardworking Minnesotans; voters will reject the Johnson-Walz agenda and reelected Congressman Finstad."
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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