Prof. Jill Hasday Clarifies in Reuters the Governor’s Office Change if Tim Walz Becomes Vice President

Professor Jill Hasday, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Centennial Professor in Law, was quoted in Reuters Fact Check about some social media posts incorrectly claiming that with Tim Walz accepting the vice presidential nomination, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan becomes governor. While a handful of states require a public official to resign from their current position while running for another, Minnesota’s constitution and statutes do not require officeholders to resign before running for another office. Prof. Hasday said, “Tim Walz can remain in office as Governor of Minnesota while campaigning to be Vice President of the United States. Minnesota has not enacted a ‘resign-to-run' law.” Should the Harris-Walz ticket win the Nov. 5 presidential election, Walz will then have to resign from the governorship before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025, under Minnesota’s constitution.