Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), the former Democratic vice presidential nominee, cited President Donald Trump's attacks on his state as he announced he was dropping out of the race for another gubernatorial term.
"I can't give a political campaign my all," Walz said in a statement, noting that it was "an extraordinarily difficult year for our state."
Walz pointed to an ongoing daycare fraud investigation in the state.
"Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, in St. Paul, and online – want to make our state a colder, meaner place," Walz observed. "They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family."
Trump recently amplified the false claim that Walz was behind the murder of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D).