Recently, the nation’s 50 governors were rated based on their fiscal record, such as whether they made their state more indebted, and whether they needlessly increased taxes or government spending.
Minnesota’s Tim Walz got the worst rating, on the 2024 Fiscal Report Card on the Governors issued by the Cato Institute. Walz ranked 50th out of 50 governors, with a pitiful score of 19 out of 100. By contrast, Iowa governor Kim Reynolds got the best score, 81 out of 100. Walz got an “F”, while Reynolds got an “A.”
On average, Republican governors scored better than Democrats, but there were exceptions: Hawaii Governor Josh Green (D) came in 7th out of 50, while Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) came in only 42nd out of 50. However, the six highest-scoring governors were Republicans, while the bottom eight-scoring governors were Democrats.
These fiscal ratings echo the findings of the Cato Institute’s study of Freedom in the 50 States, which found that various Republican-run states have cut taxes and red tape, increasing states’ economic growth, population growth and income levels. The most rapidly growing states with the biggest job growth tend to be Republican states. Republican states attract jobs and new residents by offering lower taxes, more economic freedom and more educational freedom than Democratic states.
The four freest states all have Republican governors, while the 10 LEAST free states — including Minnesota — all have Democratic governors and Democratic legislatures, according to the libertarian Cato Institute, which is headed by a socially-liberal critic of both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
The 2024 Fiscal Report Card has this to say about Tim Walz:
Tim Walz…has overseen substantial spending increases and pushed many tax hikes. Minnesota’s general fund budget increased from $51.9 billion in the 2022–2023 biennium to $70.5 billion in the 2024–2025 biennium, a 36 percent increase.
In 2019, Walz’s budget would have added “$2 billion more in new spending and taxes would increase by $1.3 billion to pay for it, with the rest of the money coming from an existing surplus.” But he compromised with the legislature, and the final tax increase was about $330 million annually….Walz pushed for more tax hikes in 2021. He proposed adding a new individual income tax rate of 10.85 percent above the current top rate of 9.85 percent, a surtax on capital gains and dividends, and a hike to the corporate tax rate from 9.8 percent to 11.25 percent. The proposals—which would have raised about $1.6 billion annually—were rejected by the legislature….
Minnesota’s high tax rates are undermining the economy and driving away wealthy people, who include highly skilled job-creating entrepreneurs. IRS data show that the state loses about 10 households earning more than $200,000 for every 6 that it gains.
In 2023, Democrats took control of the legislature and Walz pushed ahead with permanent tax hikes on businesses and high earners…In signing HF 1938, Walz raised taxes on businesses with foreign income, reduced the standard deduction for high earners, and imposed a new tax on the investment income.
Walz hit the middle class with HF 2887, which raised taxes and fees on vehicles and transportation. The increases included indexing the gas tax for inflation, increasing vehicle registration taxes, raising fees on deliveries, and raising sales taxes in the Twin Cities area.
The governor hit the middle class again in 2023 with a massive tax hike…The legislation imposed a 0.7 percent tax on wages beginning in 2026…but then new legislation in 2024 increased the tax rate to 0.88 percent of wages. An accounting analysis of the plan found that the tax will raise $1.2 billion in the first year of operation and rising amounts after that.
Cold northern states such as Minnesota that are suffering from out-migration need to adopt taxpayer-friendly policies to stem the population outflow. Minnesota ranks 44th on the Tax Foundation’s state business tax climate index. That state will likely continue losing business investment and high earners to warmer and lower-tax states until it adopts a leaner government and reduced tax rates.
A Minnesota think-tank president describes Tim Walz, who he has followed for years, saying:
As an American, I am horrified at Walz’s selection. He is a small-minded, mean-spirited man…Walz’s character defects are considerable, but let’s leave it at this: he was largely responsible for the George Floyd riots that devastated Minneapolis and other cities, because he dithered for days rather than calling out the National Guard. By his own admission, he held off out of sympathy for the rioters’ cause. We are still living with the consequences.
Walz has a terrible record as governor. This post sums it up.
Under Walz, Minnesota became a high-crime state for the first time ever:
Under Walz, student achievement tumbled even as spending on schools skyrocketed:
Under Walz, per capita GDP in Minnesota fell below the national average, for the first time ever:
Under Walz, increases in energy costs have far outstripped the national average:
And under Walz, Minnesota has joined New York, California and Illinois as a state that people of all ages are fleeing
That is Tim Walz’s record….He is a far-left ideologue whose character includes not one redeeming quality. As an American, I am horrified at the thought of him being close to the seat of power.
Tim Walz’s administration turned a blind eye to a blatant $250 million fraud that ripped off taxpayers. Walz dramatically increased government spending in Minnesota, kept taxes high, and ran up one of the worst fiscal records in America. “I gave Tim Walz an ‘F’ on the 2022 Cato Governors Report Card. Big taxer and spender,” says economist Chris Edwards.
The man tapped by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to write Minnesota’s ethnic studies curriculum called for the “overthrow” of the United States, because he says it is “irreversibly racist”, reports the National Review. Alpha News reports that that man, Brian Lozenski, said, “You can’t be a critical race theorist and be pro-U.S. … and that’s why I’m a critical race theorist.”
Erika Sanzi of Parents Defending Education notes that Lozenski “is the person appointed by Tim Walz to draft the framework for the ethnic studies program that all MN schools must offer per state law….they are slow-rolling it now and missing deadlines so it won’t become public before the election.” Minnesota State Representative Walter Hudson says, “Tim Walz and the [Democratic legislature] enacted legislation mandating these ideas to be taught to Minnesota children. Teacher licensing standards have been modified to screen for compliance with radical ideology.”
Another commentator adds, “Walz’s DEI, CRT education appointee for Minnesota’s curriculum on ethnic studies advocates for insurrection against the U.S. in the name of overthrowing racism. The same argument was used to burn, loot and kill in 2020 by BLM-Antifa extremists.”
Tim Walz also helped create an atmosphere of lawlessness in Minneapolis by refusing to deploy the National Guard for days in response to deadly riots, even after the Democratic mayor of Minneapolis begged him to send in the National Guard to end the rioting. Mayor Jacob Frey described how “Gov. Tim Walz failed to take his requests for help seriously until it was too late….Frey said that Walz hesitated to send in the National Guard to quell the growing violence and then blamed him for allowing the city to burn.” The riots caused more than $500 million in damage in Minneapolis and St. Paul and “burned over 1,000 businesses and a police station to the ground.”
Carjackings in Minnesota jumped by 548% in Minneapolis under Tim Walz, reports Newsweek. The increase was due in large part to left-wing policies backed by Tim Walz.
