Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth has won the Republican primary for governor, defeating MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and party-endorsed candidate Kendall Qualls to become the GOP nominee heading into the November general election. Demuth’s victory in the August 11, 2026 primary sets up a general-election matchup against Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee Amy Klobuchar for the seat being vacated by Governor Tim Walz.
The race was called by Decision Desk HQ on the night of August 11, 2026, with Demuth pulling ahead of Lindell despite his high-profile endorsement from President Donald Trump. Early returns showed Demuth building a commanding lead over Lindell, while Qualls, the state party’s official pick, finished a distant third.
How the Republican Primary Unfolded
Demuth entered the race for governor after Walz announced in January 2026 that he would not seek an unprecedented third term amid mounting scrutiny over allegations of social aid fraud at Minnesota daycare centers. She joined a crowded Republican field that eventually narrowed to a three-way contest between herself, Lindell, and Qualls.
The primary campaign was marked by internal party turmoil. Qualls won the Minnesota Republican Party’s official endorsement in May 2026 following a contentious, multi-round convention vote in Duluth. Demuth had initially pledged to drop out if she did not receive the endorsement, but she reversed course after citing voting-machine irregularities at the convention, a decision the state party ultimately allowed to stand.
Lindell, who stepped down as MyPillow CEO earlier in August 2026 to focus on his campaign, entered the race later than his rivals but quickly rose in the polls after securing Trump’s endorsement in July 2026. On the day of the primary, Trump posted on Truth Social urging Minnesota Republicans to hand Lindell “a BIG WIN,” calling him a tireless fighter for “free and fair Elections.”
Despite the presidential endorsement, Lindell’s campaign faced repeated obstacles. His own party publicly questioned his Minnesota residency in the weeks before the primary, and a judge found probable cause that Lindell violated state campaign finance law by giving away free pillows at a Fourth of July parade.
Final Results
Demuth defeated Lindell by a wide margin once votes were counted on primary night, with Qualls trailing in third place. The result marked a reversal from pre-election polling, which had shown Lindell leading in most surveys, including a KSTP/SurveyUSA poll conducted July 29 to August 4, 2026 that had Lindell at 34 percent to Demuth’s 28 percent.
Demuth’s win makes her the first Black candidate and the first woman to win a Republican gubernatorial primary in Minnesota history. She previously made history in February 2025 when she was elected the first Black House speaker and first female Republican House speaker in the state.
Who Is Lisa Demuth
Demuth, 58, represents District 13A in the Minnesota House, covering an area south and west of St. Cloud near Cold Spring. She was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2018 after serving on the Rockville-Cold Spring-Richmond School District Board from 2007 to 2018. She became House Speaker in February 2025 as part of a power-sharing agreement following the 2024 elections, which left the chamber tied 67-67 between Republicans and Democrats.
Demuth chose attorney Ryan Wilson as her running mate. Her campaign has centered on fighting fraud in state government, which federal prosecutors estimate has topped $1 billion, along with lowering taxes and taking a tougher approach to crime. She has criticized Walz for what she describes as mismanaging the state’s budget surplus, raising taxes, and allowing government fraud to go unchecked.
Heading into the general election, Demuth has pointed to polling that shows her performing better than Lindell would have against Klobuchar, arguing she is the most electable Republican in the field given her legislative record and ability to work across the aisle in a divided legislature.
What Comes Next
Demuth now advances to face Klobuchar, Minnesota’s senior U.S. senator since 2007, in the November 2026 general election. Klobuchar easily won the DFL primary, defeating token opposition after securing the party’s endorsement at the DFL Convention in May 2026. She has chosen former Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer as her running mate.
The general election will be closely watched nationally, as Minnesota has not elected a Republican to statewide office since 2006 and has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1972. Still, Republicans see the open seat, combined with the ongoing state fraud investigations tied to the Walz administration, as their best opportunity in years to break that losing streak. Demuth has said her focus now shifts entirely to the general election campaign against Klobuchar.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Minnesota governor’s race as the general election campaign heats up this fall — share your thoughts on the primary results in the comments below.