House Speaker Lisa Demuth announced Sunday that she will seek the GOP endorsement to challenge Gov. Tim Walz in next year’s gubernatorial race. A lifelong Minnesotan, Demuth is joining a large field of candidates hoping to be the first GOP governor since Tim Pawlenty.
“Minnesota is at a crossroads and desperately needs new leadership after two terms of Tim Walz,” Demuth said. “As Speaker of the House, I am the only candidate in this race who has taken on Tim Walz and I know I have what it takes to unify the Republican Party and deliver a victory in 2026.”
First elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018, Demuth represents a rural district just outside St. Cloud. She has regularly won reelection by wide margins.
In 2022, Demuth was elected leader of the House Republican Caucus and became speaker of the House in 2025 after a legislative power struggle that lasted for weeks. Her campaign described her as “the first black legislator and first Republican woman to serve as Speaker.”
During the 2025 legislative session, Demuth squared off against Walz and DFL legislative leaders to hammer out the terms of Minnesota’s current two-year state budget.
That budget was the second largest in state history at roughly $66 billion, but represented a significant decrease from the previous $72 billion two-year budget. Further, that budget agreement considerably reduced a $6 billion deficit which accumulated under the DFL.
Perhaps the most remarkable legislative win Demuth has achieved during her short time in the speaker’s chair was forcing Democrats to support a new law that revokes adult illegal aliens’ access to MinnesotaCare, a state-run healthcare program.
“As governor, I will restore sanity to our state budget by fighting back against wasteful spending, rooting out fraud, and ending Democrat giveaways for illegal immigrants,” said Demuth. “I will focus relentlessly on raising test scores in our schools, and put a stop to the divisive ideology that has taken root in too many classrooms.”
Demuth joins a growing field of Republican candidates that includes businessman Kendall Qualls, former State Sen. Scott Jensen, State Rep. Kristin Robbins, Jeff Johnson, Phillip Parish, and Brad Kohler. The field of GOP candidates is expected to grow further.
Attorney Chris Madel said he is “strongly considering entering the race after receiving encouragement to run from Republican donors and activists.”
Whoever wins the GOP nomination for governor will face an uphill battle. No Republican has won the Minnesota governorship since Tim Pawlenty won reelection to the office in 2006 by less than one point.
In 2022, Jensen was the GOP nominee for governor and lost to Walz by roughly 8 points.
Walz announced earlier this year that he will seek an unprecedented third consecutive four-year term. Only Rudy Perpich had previously attempted this feat, and he ended up losing to Arne Carlson in 1990.
“By every measure, Tim Walz has failed Minnesota,” Demuth said. “Under his watch, fraud is rampant across nearly every program in state government. Violent crime has surged. Half of Minnesotan’s children are unable to read at grade level. Walz raised taxes by billions of dollars and squandered a historic surplus.”
“We need a new direction, and I will deliver it next November,” Demuth added.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
