Democrats and their guests cheer as Gov. Tim Walz gives his final State of the State address Tuesday, April 28, 2026 in the Minnesota House chambers in Saint Paul. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (Minnesota Reformer) – Gov. Tim Walz delivered his eighth and final State of the State address on Tuesday — seeking to burnish a nearly-completed tenure that’s been marked by crises, including a pandemic, the police killing of George Floyd and resulting civil unrest and most recently the federal immigration crackdown that resulted in the deaths of two Minnesotans.
Walz began the night by recounting the awful moments of the past year, from the politically motivated assassination of the late House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman and shooting of Sen. John Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman, to the massacre at Annunciation Catholic Church that killed two students and wounded more than two dozen others, to the incursion of some 3,000 federal immigration agents here during Operation Metro Surge.
The governor called it a “season of grief.”
Walz, during his nearly 40-minute speech, praised the resilience of Minnesotans: “For all the work we do here in St. Paul, the real work is happening in communities across the state, as neighbors build and rebuild the bonds that hold us together in difficult times.”
The second-term Democratic-Farmer-Labor governor still has eight months left in office, but the Tuesday address was a valedictory in the Minnesota House chamber before handing over the reins to the candidate he hopes will be his successor, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. The governor’s tone was different from last year, when Walz sounded like a candidate for governor or perhaps higher office, repeatedly attacking President Donald Trump and painting himself as the leader to steer Minnesota in the right direction.
But the widespread looting of hundreds of millions and perhaps billions of dollars in safety net programs has tanked Walz’s once-rising trajectory, less than two years after he rose from Midwestern obscurity to become Kamala Harris’ running mate during the 2024 presidential race. As Walz was preparing for his State of the State Tuesday, the feds raided 22 locations in the Twin Cities as part of ongoing Medicaid fraud investigations. Even as Walz touted Minnesota as the best place in the country to raise a child, that vision was countered by the image of dozens of federal agents swarming childcare centers earlier in the day.
Walz is unlikely to sign any more legacy-defining legislation. Lawmakers have less than three weeks to pass bills — the session must end by 11:59 p.m. on May 17 — but Walz used his speech to push his long-shot priorities, including broadening and reducing the sales tax; reforming safety net programs; taxing Big Tech; and enacting a ban on the kind of firearms used in the Annunciation attack.
Republicans are against any tax increases, and the Minnesota House — where Democrats and Republicans share control — has stymied Walz’s priorities. Walz is also a victim of his lame duck status, with many legislators already looking ahead to next year.
Despite the odds, Walz said, lawmakers still have an opportunity to make the state better. He said they should start with childcare.
“There’s not much we can do here in St. Paul to help with teething or potty training. But we can take this one big thing off parents’ plates,” Walz said, touting his proposal to expand the state’s dependent care tax credit.
Minnesota has among the most expensive childcare in the nation, with infant care running at least $1,800 per month, according to a 2025 study.
Making childcare more affordable will likely be one of Minnesota lawmakers’ priorities next year when they craft a two-year budget.
The governor asked lawmakers to pass his fraud prevention package, which includes increased criminal penalties for people convicted of fraud, eliminating insurance company middlemen from Minnesota’s Medicaid program and other program integrity measures.
“My ask for you tonight is simple: If you’re taking fraud seriously, take your responsibility seriously and pass legislation to stop it. If you talk about oversight, vote for oversight.” Walz said.
Toward the end of his remarks, Walz acknowledged it was his last State of the State address. GOP House floor leader Harry Niska cheered loudly. Walz, smiling at Niska, fired back: “But the things we implemented will be here for decades.” Democrats loudly cheered for the governor’s jab.
During 2023 alone, Walz signed into law universal free school meals for Minnesota students; the codification of abortion rights; a state-run paid family leave program; the legalization of cannabis; free college for Minnesota students with a family income under $80,000; and a tax credit aimed at reducing childhood poverty.
After his address, House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who is a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, said Walz’s legacy is higher prices, lower test scores and more divisive partisanship.
“When we look at having just 20 days left in this legislative session, we can’t fix everything from the last seven years. But there is still work that we need to do,” Demuth said.
Walz concluded his address by sharing the story of a Minnesotan who has been working to reunite families who have had loved ones detained after Operation Metro Surge. The Minnesotan, who Walz called “Norm,” recently tried to help a man who was released from a south Texas detention facility without any way to get home to Minnesota. Norm flew to Texas, rented a car and drove an hour to pick up the total stranger, Walz said. They flew back to Minnesota together.
Walz said Norm’s story embodied the empathy and compassion Minnesotans have for their neighbors.
“This winter has been particularly cold and bitter for so many of our neighbors. But we’re ready to move beyond our this season of grief,” Walz said. “We’re never gonna forget those that we lost. But neither will we forget what we have found to be true about ourselves and our neighbors — that we are strong. We are resilient. We are generous. We are compassionate, and we’re in this thing together.”
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