Have there been changes to Tim Walz's approval rating since January 7th?
Executive summary
Tim Walz’s approval rating fell through 2025 from the mid‑50s early in the year to the high‑40s by December, with multiple local polls showing a slide to roughly 48% approval and roughly equal disapproval by mid‑December [1] [2] [3] [4]. The reporting supplied contains no new public poll numbers dated after Jan. 7, 2026, so there is no direct evidence in these sources of further movement in his approval rating since that date [5] [3].
1. What the pre‑Jan. 7 polls show: a steady slide through 2025
Across the supplied local and state polling, Walz’s approval rating trended downward during 2025: KSTP/SurveyUSA measured him at 52% approval in February [2], quarterly tallies put him at 56% in Q1, 54% in Q2 and 53% in Q3 of 2025 [1], and several SurveyUSA/KSTP installments recorded sub‑50 results later in the year — including 49% in June and a pair of 47–48% readings in September and December [6] [7] [3] [4]. These numbers show a clear pattern in the supplied reporting: modest but steady erosion of public approval over the course of 2025 [1] [2] [3].
2. The December snapshot: 48% approval and a political context
By mid‑December 2025, SurveyUSA/KSTP reported Walz at roughly 48% approval and 48% disapproval — the lowest readings KSTP had recorded in the four years it tracked him — and other outlets summarized the same 48/48 split [4] [8] [3]. Commentators tied that decline to several contemporaneous political pressures, notably a broad investigation into alleged fraud in state‑run programs that became a dominant news story and public concern [8] [5].
3. A consequential development just before Jan. 7 and its implications for polling
On Jan. 5, 2026, Walz announced he would drop his bid for a third term amid fallout from the fraud investigations and mounting political criticism, a decision widely reported by outlets including The New York Times and Fox News [5] [9]. That announcement is a major political event likely to influence approval dynamics, but among the supplied sources there are no published public‑opinion updates after that announcement that would demonstrate whether approval rose, fell, or held steady following the Jan. 5–7 timeframe [5] [9].
4. What can and cannot be concluded from the available reporting
It is demonstrable from the provided sources that Walz’s approval moved downward during 2025 from the mid‑50s into the high‑40s by December [1] [2] [3]. What cannot be demonstrated from these same sources is any further change that occurred after Jan. 7, 2026, because no post‑Jan. 7 poll results are included in the reporting provided here; therefore any claim about movement since Jan. 7 would be unsupported by the supplied material [5] [3].
5. Competing interpretations and possible agendas in the coverage
Different outlets emphasize different frames: local pollsters (KSTP/SurveyUSA) focus on the granular month‑to‑month shifts and attribute political danger to sliding numbers [7] [4], while national news accounts highlight the fraud investigation and Walz’s withdrawal from the race as the more consequential political story [5] [9]. Some commentary links the decline to governance issues and accountability [8], while partisan outlets stress broader electoral consequences; readers should note those editorial and institutional perspectives when weighing the same underlying poll figures [8] [9].
6. Bottom line
The supplied reporting proves there were changes to Tim Walz’s approval rating during 2025 — a measurable decline from the mid‑50s to around 48% by December [1] [2] [3]. The sources do not provide any new public‑opinion data dated after Jan. 7, 2026, so they do not demonstrate whether his approval rating changed further since that date [5] [3].