There were a great many things that were problematic about Tim Walz. Going back to before he became Kamala Harris' running mate, he had interesting takes on socialism (calling it "neighborliness"), was exposed for lying about his service record, and really liked communist China. After joining Kamala's 2024 campaign, it became clear that he had more problems. Then we learned about the massive welfare fraud in Minnesota, including the "Feeding Our Future" scandal and fraud in Medicaid and childcare programs.
It was so bad that Walz was forced to drop out of his reelection bid, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar is now running to be Minnesota's next governor.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan also has her sights set on higher office. She's running for the Senate, and voters should be aware that she was part of the administration that allowed the theft of billions of taxpayer dollars. In 2018, she skipped a hearing where a whistleblower said the fraud scandal would be "Minnesota's Watergate" and spent the next eight years pandering to the Somali community, a large source of the welfare fraud. She gave an "Outstanding Refugee" award to a fraudster, endorsed a state representative who reportedly tried to funnel money to fraudsters, and she's good friends with Nimco Ahmed, who is now facing investigations for fraud related to fake autism centers.
Flanagan's Republican opponent, Michelle Tafoya, has hammered Flanagan on the fraud issue.
There is a stark contrast in this race.
— Michele Tafoya (@Michele_Tafoya) October 28, 2026
My opponent has been the second in command of Minnesota for the last 8 years.
What has happened under her watch? Billions in fraud. Decreased academic performance. Increased crime.
In 6 days, we can give Peggy Flanagan a pink slip. pic.twitter.com/9KWrGEKVR5
Programs meant to help people in need should actually reach them.
— Michele Tafoya (@Michele_Tafoya) October 28, 2026
In Minnesota, fraudsters cashed in while the families who were counting on that support were left with nothing.
Every stolen dollar meant a Minnesotan who needed help didn’t get it.
First, Tim Walz and Peggy… pic.twitter.com/sVngYzlpjx
And it's important for Minnesota voters to remember that Tim Walz not only picked Flanagan to be his running mate, he spent years singing her praises.
In 2017, Walz chose Flanagan to be lieutenant governor, saying that "Peggy's vast knowledge and expertise will be something I rely on daily." He also said that Flanagan "has life experience that is different from mine but brought us to the same place, and always with joy and hopefulness."
He did this, according to the Star Tribune, to "both bolster his credibility with progressives and bring geographic balance as he mounts a bid from greater Minnesota." He also said that he and Flanagan have "a lot of shared values" that would help him "united this state."
In 2020, Walz said Flanagan helped him govern. "Every major decision she is there from the beginning and helps me see about them differently and think about them differently,” Walz said. “You have a 55-year-old rural white guy who was in the Army and coached football, and you have a 39-year-old indigenous woman who lived in St. Louis Park. That brings a wealth of [ways] to approach these issues." Walz also said Flanagan "taught him to be authentic."
"I thought I had to shape myself to being people who I thought were politicians, and I thought, I’ll never be able to give a speech like that. That’s not how I talk, that’s not how I think," he said. "It was [Flanagan] who said, 'You need to be your own self, and if that works as a candidate it works.'"
Of course, things may have soured between the two or Walz is putting distance there now to protect Flanagan's Senate run. Walz hasn't endorsed anyone in the Senate race, and his wife, Gwen Walz, endorsed Rep. Angie Craig in the primary. During a July debate between Flanagan and Craig, the moderator asked Flanagan about Walz's lack of endorsement.
"The governor is really clear very early on that he was going to stay neutral and I appreciate that," she said at the time. But for years, Walz was singing her praises, and Flanagan was a major part of the Walz administration.
Voters in Minnesota should remember this when they go to the polls.
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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