As Walz’s popularity tanks, the question for candidates is ‘What would you do differently?’

Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) (https://flic.kr/p/2qjKAnK)

This week, results from the Star Tribune/KARE 11/ Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication Minnesota Poll showed that Gov. Walz’s approval rating had hit a new low of just 39%. This is down 14 percentage points from September last year, nine points of which come from an increase in his disapproval rating of nine percentage points to a new all-time high of 53%. Incredibly, Gov. Walz’s net rating — 14 points — is only one point better than President Trump’s.

No wonder the governor was unceremoniously “Bidened” out of the gubernatorial race and Sen. Amy Klobuchar drafted in.

Readers will not be surprised by this; Gov. Walz’s record has been woeful. Looking just at the state’s economy, I noted recently that:

  • In every single year since 2014, per capita GDP has grown more slowly in Minnesota than for the United States generally, a record of underperformance matched only by Wisconsin. (Source)
  • As recently as 2014, GDP was $4,700 per person higher than it was for the United States generally, or $18,800 for a family of four. In 2025, for the first time on record, GDP per capita in Minnesota was below the national average. (Source)
  • In real terms, median household income in Minnesota has fallen by 6.4% since 2019, a worse performance than in 44 states. (Source)
  • Real, per capita Personal Income has grown more slowly in Minnesota since 2018 than in 34 other states. (Source)
  • The average earning Minnesotan handed over 4.9% of their 2025 wages to the state government, a higher share than in 43 out of 50 other states. (Source)
  • Minnesota is one of just 16 states where the share of the average earner’s wages swallowed up by the state government in income tax has increased over the last decade. (Source)
  • In 2025, Minnesota’s state government spent $6,098 per person, an amount higher than in 45 other states. (Source)
  • Adjusted for inflation, Minnesota’s level of state government spending per person increased by 18.5% between 2019 and 2025. This was a greater increase than in 42 other states. (Source)
  • Between 2020 and 2025, Minnesota suffered a net loss of residents to other parts of the United States which was worse than in 34 other states. (Source)
  • Since 2019, our state has lost residents in every age category and every income category above $25,000 annually. (Source)

As the governor’s time in office limps to a close, the key question for any candidate of any party seeking to replace him is: “What would you do differently?”