A new poll from the Minnesota Star Tribune found Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’ approval ratings have dropped below 50% for the first time since he took office.

Walz has been relatively popular in his state, with approval ratings staying in the region of net +30% throughout much of his tenure as governor, but this new poll suggests a decline to around 49% approval.

The latest numbers show a significant drop from his rating in September 2024, at 53% approving and 44% disapproving during his brief stint on the national stage.

A key issue for Minnesotans is whether or not Walz should run for a third term, with the Minnesota Star Tribune poll finding 49% of respondents saying he should not run again, while 45% said he should run again, with 6% unsure.

Minnesota Republicans see this as a potential opportunity to win a governor’s seat that hasn’t been held by a Republican for 20 years.

“The fact that more voters want Walz to step aside than run again says it all: His time is up,” Minnesota GOP Chair Alex Plechash said in a statement Tuesday. “Outside of the DFL bubble, voters are sending a clear message—Governor Walz is out of touch and out of favor. Minnesota students are falling behind, fraud is rampant, and radical policies are taking priority over real people.”

However, another poll conducted earlier in June by KSTP/SurveyUSA found 58% of Minnesotans somewhat or strongly approve of the governor’s job performance, 39% somewhat or strongly disapprove, and 3% are not sure.

Walz’s spokesman, Teddy Tschann, said that they’ve “seen polls that show him up and down and everywhere in between.”

“Here’s what we know: Crime rates are down, graduation rates are up, and the Governor just balanced the state budget working with the most narrowly divided legislature in the whole country. Governor Walz remains focused on doing the work of governor and making Minnesota the best state to live, work, and raise a family,” Tschann said in a statement.

Crime rates under Walz reached a 60-year low according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, seeing declines in all forms of crime despite a brief spike in 2020. High school graduation rates have also reached historic highs, around 84% according to the Minnesota Department of Education, under Walz’ term. 

An April 2025 poll from Morning Consult looking at approval ratings of all state governors in the U.S. found Walz to be around the lower middle, placing 32nd on the ranking. This puts Walz above California’s Gavin Newsom, New York’s Amy Hochul, and Texas’ Greg Abott, but below Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, Georgia’s Brian Kemp, and Maryland’s Wes Moore. Nearly all of these governors still have net positive approval ratings, however.

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