Demuth enters Minnesota GOP governor primary after challenging convention vote

MINNEAPOLIS - House Speaker Lisa Demuth said she will run in an August primary for governor after questioning the accuracy of an electronic voting system used at the Republican state convention to endorse her rival, Kendall Qualls.

"Our intent is to take that message that we have been talking about ... and make sure that Minnesotans are given a fair chance to put a Republican, to finally defeat Amy Klobuchar, on the ballot," Demuth said at a news conference on the steps of the Minnesota Capitol Tuesday.

Demuth and her running mate, Ryan Wilson, filed to run for the office the same day.

The announcement sets up a Republican primary between Demuth, Qualls and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Party leaders had initially hoped the endorsing convention would allow Republicans to avoid an expensive and potentially divisive primary and instead focus their attention on the general election race against the presumed DFL nominee, Klobuchar.

Demuth's decision ensures Republican primary voters will have a choice between the party-endorsed candidate and the highest-ranking Republican elected official in state government, whose legislative leadership and name recognition failed to persuade convention delegates to back her over Qualls, a political outsider making his second run for governor.

Some argue Demuth would be the strongest candidate to face Klobuchar because of her legislative track record and experience in the public eye. She made that case to delegates at the GOP convention in Duluth and said Tuesday she would rely on her "proven leadership" to distinguish herself from other candidates. She noted her campaign has more cash than Qualls and his running mate, Brian Nicholson.

"We fully know that Minnesotans know we are the strongest ticket to defeat the Democrat machine here in Minnesota," she said.

Demuth had long pledged to drop out of the governor's race if she wasn't endorsed, and Qualls beat her after 10 rounds of voting by Republican delegates.

But the result was thrown into doubt when GOP officials announced "anomalies" on a critical ballot that saw Qualls leap past Demuth in the voting. Qualls never trailed again, eventually beating Demuth by reaching the 60% threshold for an endorsement.

The Republican party - and Qualls - also said it had regained confidence in its voting clickers and stood by the vote tally. Demuth, however, said the voting could not be trusted, appealing to Lindell supporters who are skeptics of the results of the 2020 presidential election and calling the GOP the party of "election integrity."

Still, on Monday, GOP chairman Alex Plechash undermined the endorsement by saying the confusion on the convention floor meant candidates shouldn't have to stick by earlier pledges, strengthening Demuth's justification for going back on her word and forging ahead.

"I recognize that the disruption created confusion and concern among delegates, campaigns, and observers," Plechash said in a statement. "The delay also extended an already long process, and that is not the experience we wanted for our delegates, our candidates, or our convention.

"I believe it is appropriate to make clear that any gubernatorial candidate who agreed to abide by the endorsement should not be treated as bound by that pledge."

Demuth cited Plechash's statement as a primary reason for continuing in the race.

"I think Minnesotans are really welcoming this opportunity, although unexpected, to have a voice in the process," Demuth said.

Republican primary voters in Minnesota have a long history of voting for the candidate endorsed by the party. Some Republicans argue that process may not produce the best candidates, as the few thousand GOP delegates who vote in the endorsement contest skew toward more hard-line conservative beliefs than the average Minnesota voter.

Demuth did not directly address whether the endorsement still holds value or whether the party should consider a competitive primary in future years. She said she values the grassroots support reflected in party endorsements but that the process "broke down" over the weekend.

"Decisions will be made later by the parties, I'm sure," Demuth said.

In the days between the convention and the deadline to file for office, Qualls had pressured Demuth to stick to her word and abide by the endorsement. He swiftly condemned her decision to move forward to a primary in a statement released by his campaign.

"She is putting vanity and political ambitions ahead of giving Republicans their best chance in decades to elect a conservative governor," Qualls said. "The sad part is that when we win in August, we will have wasted time and money fighting amongst ourselves to come to the same conclusion: victory for our campaign."

Demuth took questions on the possibility of an endorsement in the race from President Donald Trump and the next steps for her campaign. She said she'll focus campaign messaging on issues ranging from fraud in Minnesota's social service programs to education.

DFL Chair Richard Carlbom also criticized Demuth's decision to continue on to the primary, though Democratic candidates often eschew their party's endorsement and move on to the August vote. He called it "just another broken promise" and more broadly criticized her conservative policies.

"Lisa Demuth will do whatever it takes to keep herself in power, even if she has to throw Minnesotans under the bus," Carlbom said. "She has repeatedly put Donald Trump first and the people of Minnesota last."

She distanced herself from a moment of silence held at the GOP convention in Duluth for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of killing George Floyd in 2020. She noted she was not in the room when it occurred and said she viewed moments of silence as primarily for officers killed in the line of duty.

But she did not rule out issuing a pardon for Chauvin, saying "there's a lot that goes into any type of decision" to clear someone's criminal record.

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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 1:22 PM.