(NewsNation) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ended his reelection campaign Monday amid scrutiny over allegations of fraud in the state, a move former Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty told NewsNation is “pretty predictable.”
Pawlenty told “NewsNation Live” Walz’s decision came down to the “mounting pressure” surrounding allegations of social aid fraud at day care centers in the state.
“The baggage was too heavy,” Pawlenty added before saying Walz “made a wise decision to get out because I don’t think he was going to politically survive otherwise.”
Less than four months after announcing the campaign, the former vice presidential candidate said Monday that negative attention and Republican attacks have contributed to an “extraordinarily difficult year for our state,” making it impossible for him to serve full-time as governor while also being a candidate to keep his job.
Klobuchar to run for governor?
“There’s reporting locally in Minnesota that U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar might be interested in running for governor,” Pawlenty told NewsNation.
“Governor Walz made the difficult decision to focus on his job and the challenges facing our state rather than campaigning and running for reelection,” Klobuchar wrote on X Monday amid speculation she may run for his seat. “He has always dedicated his career to delivering for Minnesota.”
Pawlenty said that he’s hoping the Democratic senator doesn’t run, as she would be a “very formidable” opponent for Republicans.
While Minnesota is a majority blue state, Pawlenty believes the “fraud issue will still loom large” for voters.
“I think Republicans can make the argument credibly that … just changing one person isn’t gonna change it, you got to change a culture, you got to change the bureaucracy, and that’s gonna take a change of philosophy,” he said.
The Associated Press and NewsNation’s Ashley N. Soriano contributed to this report.