Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth Wins GOP Gubernatorial Primary Over Trump-Endorsed Mike Lindell

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth secured the Republican nomination for governor on Tuesday, defeating MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, who had received President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and Kendall Qualls, the candidate preferred by state party convention delegates.

With nearly all votes counted, Demuth received approximately 43 to 45 percent of the vote. Lindell finished second with roughly 31 to 33 percent, while Qualls placed third with about 21 percent. The Associated Press and other networks projected Demuth as the winner late Tuesday evening. She will face Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the November general election. Klobuchar easily won her party’s primary with nearly 90 percent of the vote.

Demuth, 59, a small-business owner from central Minnesota, has represented District 13A in the state House since 2019 and became speaker in 2025 in a chamber evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. She campaigned on cutting taxes, reducing government spending, and aggressively addressing fraud in social services programs, an issue Republicans have highlighted under Democratic control of state government in recent years.

The primary exposed divisions within the Minnesota Republican Party, which has not won a statewide election since 2006. At the state party convention in May, delegates endorsed Qualls, an Army veteran and businessman, after multiple ballots. Demuth had indicated she would respect the endorsement but continued her campaign after questions arose about the convention process. Party leaders had expressed concern when Trump endorsed Lindell, viewing the MyPillow executive as a weaker general-election candidate against the well-known Klobuchar.

Lindell, a prominent conservative activist known for promoting claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election, entered the race with high name recognition and the president’s backing. Trump had publicly urged a “big win” for him in Minnesota. Some Republicans raised questions about Lindell’s residency qualifications during the campaign. Qualls, the convention choice, struggled to gain traction beyond the party’s organized base.

Demuth’s victory marks a rare instance of a candidate who lost the formal party endorsement prevailing in a Minnesota Republican primary for governor. She becomes the first Republican woman nominated for the office. In a state that has leaned heavily Democratic in recent cycles, Demuth faces a significant uphill battle against Klobuchar, a longtime statewide officeholder with strong name recognition and fundraising advantages. Republicans hope concerns over taxes, crime, and government fraud will provide openings in the general election, while Democrats are favored to retain the governorship.