Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, won the Republican nomination for governor of Minnesota Tuesday night. Demuth bested MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and retired business executive Kendall Qualls for the nomination.
“We began this campaign nine months ago. And the thing I’ve heard over and over from Minnesotans from all walks of life is that people are ready for a fresh start,” Demuth said in a statement released after her primary victory.
Demuth launched her gubernatorial campaign in 2025, just months after being elected the speaker of the Minnesota House. The highest-ranking Republican in Minnesota’s state government, Demuth quickly became a leading contender for the GOP nomination.
Throughout the primary campaign, Demuth ran on rooting out fraud in Minnesota state government, lowering taxes, and improving education. Demuth often touted her experience as speaker and repeatedly told voters she is ready to lead the state on day one.
However, Demuth failed to win the Minnesota Republican Party’s endorsement for governor in May. That endorsement, which has routinely propelled its winner to a primary victory, was won by Qualls at the GOP’s state convention after multiple rounds of voting.
Demuth had initially said she would bow out of the Republican primary if she failed to win the endorsement, but she elected to run in the primary after the Minnesota GOP’s chairman issued a statement releasing candidates from their pledges to abide by the endorsement.
Throughout the summer, Lindell maintained a polling lead in the race for the Republican nomination. Additionally, President Donald Trump endorsed Lindell’s campaign in July which further solidified the pillow magnate’s status as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.
However, Lindell released a controversial plan in the final weeks of the primary campaign to give illegal aliens amnesty. Republicans, including Demuth and Qualls, criticized the plan.
In Tuesday night’s primary, Demuth ultimately bested both Lindell and Qualls. Demuth was supported by many GOP state lawmakers and conservative groups in the state.
Demuth’s victory, along with Michele Tafoya’s win in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, marks the first time in decades that a non-endorsed GOP candidate for a statewide office has gone on to win the GOP nomination.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won the Minnesota DFL’s nomination for governor against token opposition Tuesday night.
“In Minnesota, trust is not given – it’s earned,” Klobuchar said in a statement after securing her party’s nomination. “I’m honored to have won this nomination and earned your trust, and I’m ready to get to work.”
Klobuchar announced her gubernatorial campaign in January after DFL Gov. Tim Walz abandoned his bid for a third term. Walz exited the race amid mounting criticism of his failure to prevent widespread welfare fraud in state programs.
A longtime senator and dominant fixture in Minnesota politics, Klobuchar cleared the DFL gubernatorial field of any significant primary challengers. This put her on a glide path to win both the DFL endorsement and DFL nomination.
As such, Klobuchar has spent the last several months focused on the general election and building up a significant campaign war chest. As of July 20, Klobuchar had nearly $4.5 million in cash on hand while Demuth had just $456,443.
Now, Demuth and Klobuchar are set to face each other in the November general election. Klobuchar is viewed as the favorite in the race given Minnesota’s leftward lean.
However, Klobuchar’s popularity has dipped in recent months. A KSTP/SurveyUSA poll from earlier this month found that Klobuchar’s approval rating has dropped by 19 points in the last year and now stands at +7 points.
Additionally, Demuth is perhaps the most experienced gubernatorial candidate Minnesota Republicans have fielded in recent years, and the DFL has been under significant criticism for years due to the fraud that has occurred on their watch.
Fraud will almost certainly be the most widely-discussed issue of the November general election as will the candidates’ different backgrounds, styles, and philosophies.
Minnesota’s general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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.
