Walz winning 3rd term would be unprecedented in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Gov. Tim Walz is ruling out a run for U.S. Senate next year, but he is exploring the possibility of another term in Minnesota. 

Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier says Walz winning a third term in 2026 would be unprecedented. 

Gov. Rudy Perpich served two-and-a-half terms, but he lost his third election to Arne Carlson. 

Schier says there has not been a governor to win three four-year terms in the modern era. 

Perpich was appointed governor in 1976 when Governor Wendell Anderson resigned to fill Walter Mondale’s seat in the U.S. Senate.