Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, the Republican nominee for governor of Minnesota, unveiled her updated plan to combat fraud in state government at a Tuesday press event. Demuth announced that plan standing alongside her running mate, Ryan Wilson.
“Fraud is top of mind for all Minnesotans,” Demuth said at Tuesday’s press conference. “As Ryan and I have traveled across the state, really since [our campaign] launched on Nov. 2, that is the top of mind for everyone.”
For years, Minnesota has endured a seemingly unending fraud saga that has become the top political issue in the state. In 2025, federal authorities estimated that a set of state-run welfare programs could have been defrauded of $9 billion or more since 2018.
As a result, both Demuth and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the DFL nominee for governor of Minnesota, have made tackling fraud a major part of their respective campaigns.
In January, Demuth’s campaign unveiled a fraud prevention plan that included creating an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to investigate fraud throughout state government.
During the 2026 legislative session, Minnesota lawmakers created the OIG and passed other anti-fraud measures. Demuth championed the creation of the OIG on Tuesday and unveiled more anti-fraud initiatives she would implement as governor.
“We want to share some additional efforts that my administration will undertake to stop the fraud, waste, and abuse that have skyrocketed during the Walz Administration,” she said.
Among her prescriptions, Demuth said fraudsters would get mandatory prison time, receive a lifetime ban from welfare benefits in Minnesota, and anyone who gets welfare benefits in Minnesota would be restricted from transferring money overseas.
The Republican gubernatorial candidate said she would also fire all commissioners in state government and replace them with people who are “accountable” and “are committed to changing that culture of fraud.”
Additionally, Demuth said she would form an executive fraud oversight committee led by Wilson and end the federal government’s decision to freeze some welfare funds that were bound for Minnesota. Demuth said that freeze has harmed legitimate welfare providers.
While Demuth could appoint her own commissioners and form an executive fraud oversight committee as governor, she would need the support of state lawmakers and the federal government to accomplish her other objectives.
“[Stopping fraud is] gonna take someone who isn’t a 20-year Washington insider who sat idly by while the fraud crisis consumed an estimated $9 billion of taxpayer money,” Demuth said, taking a jab at Klobuchar.
At Tuesday’s press conference, Demuth said Klobuchar issued over 1,000 press releases between 2022 and 2025 “during the biggest fraud scandal in state history. Not one of those press releases mentioned fraud.”
“Ryan and I are focused, laser-focused, on stopping fraud in the state,” she added.
In addition to fighting fraud, Demuth said her campaign for governor is focused on lowering taxes, car tab fees, and property taxes. The Republican speaker also told the gathered press that education and improving the state’s business climate are top priorities.
The general election contest between Demuth and Klobuchar is just getting underway, and Demuth’s Tuesday press conference was her first major event since winning the Republican nomination for governor last week.
Also on Tuesday, Klobuchar released her first campaign advertisement for the general election. In her 30-second ad, Klobuchar pledged to conduct an audit of state government and campaigned on reducing health care premiums and cutting regulations so more homes can be built.
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.
