Walz, 61, pointed to the scandal and the general political climate in his statement on Monday morning, claiming that “political gamesmanship from Republicans” is making the fight against fraudsters “harder to win.” Explaining his decision not to run, the former teacher said that after speaking with his family and team over the festive season, he has come to the realization that he can’t give a political campaign his all and he wants to “let others worry about the election” so that he can “focus on the work.”