Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton makes a humble retreat after two terms

Outgoing Gov. Mark Dayton was recognized by Gov. Tim Walz as he spoke after taking the oath of office January 7. Credit: Anthony Souffle, Star Tribune.

By the time you read this, former Gov. Mark Dayton will be off on his first vacation in eight years.

On his way out the door, he left his successor a jar of peanut M&M’s and a $1.5 billion budget surplus.

Minnesota’s 40th governor was there in the crowd in St. Paul’s Fitzgerald Theater on Monday morning as Tim Walz took the oath to become governor 41. Leaning heavily on a cane after recent surgery, Dayton accepted the crowd’s cheers and applause. But he stayed away from the stage and out of the limelight, because this day wasn’t about him.

View the complete January 7 article by Jennifer Brooks on The Star Tribune website here.