Demuth Secures GOP Nomination for Minnesota Governor

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth successfully defeated MyPillow founder Mike Lindell in the Republican primary for governor. This result was announced by the Associated Press. Demuth, 59, will face Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the upcoming fall election. Klobuchar had a strong showing in her party’s primary.

Demuth has led a nearly evenly split state House between Republicans and Democrats. Her campaign emphasized her ability to collaborate across party lines. She claimed to be the best candidate to end the Republican party’s over 20-year losing streak in Minnesota governor races.

In the primary, Demuth faced Lindell, who had received the endorsement of former President Trump. Kendall Qualls, another Republican business executive, was also in the race, backed by the state Republican Party since May.

Lindell attracted significant attention, both positive and negative. Some state Republican leaders expressed concerns about his electability, given his ties to Trump’s election denial claims from 2020. Trump lost Minnesota in all his presidential runs.

Demuth enjoyed a significant fundraising advantage during her campaign. Her platform included a firm stance against fraud in government programs. She also highlighted her confrontations with Democratic Governor Tim Walz over state budget issues to uphold conservative values. Walz decided against seeking a third term, instead pledging to focus on fraud issues in remaining time in office.