New Delhi, Jan. 7 -- A day after announcing he would not seek re-election, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz rejected calls to step down over the state's welfare fraud scandal.

"I'm not going anywhere. And you can make all your requests for me to resign. Over my dead body will that happen," Walz told reporters on Tuesday (January 6), responding publicly for the first time since ending his re-election bid.

The Democratic governor scrapped his campaign for an unprecedented third term amid mounting criticism from Republicans over his handling of large-scale fraud involving state-administered welfare programs.

Walz said his decision was rooted in accountability.

"The buck stops with me. I'm accountable for this. And because of that accountabili...