Minnesota House Speaker Demuth Wins GOP Primary, Advances to General Election for Governor

Lisa Demuth, the Minnesota House Speaker, secured victory in the Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday and will compete against the Democratic nominee in November’s general election to succeed outgoing Gov. Tim Walz. Demuth’s triumph represents a considerable political achievement given that she continued her campaign after failing to secure the party’s official endorsement at the state convention, where Kendall Qualls prevailed after 10 rounds of voting.

Demuth defeated MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell, who carried the backing of President Donald Trump and enjoyed significant national prominence. She argued throughout the race that her experience in the state legislature and record managing House Republicans positioned her as the party’s most viable nominee for the general election.

The Republican Party faces steep electoral headwinds in Minnesota. Since 2006, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty won reelection by a razor-thin margin, no GOP candidate has captured a statewide office—a 28-consecutive-loss streak that marks the longest such drought for either major party in state history.

The gubernatorial contest underwent dramatic transformation in January when Walz withdrew from his reelection bid, announcing that he preferred to devote his final year in office to addressing widespread fraud within state programs rather than campaign activities. The decision followed mounting allegations that government-funded initiatives had been compromised by fraudulent schemes potentially exceeding $9 billion.

Walz’s departure reoriented the race considerably. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar subsequently entered the Democratic primary, shifting the political dynamic from a referendum on the incumbent governor’s tenure to a matchup against one of Minnesota’s most prominent statewide figures. Walz had previously ascended to national prominence less than two years earlier as Kamala Harris’s 2024 vice presidential running mate.