Lisa Demuth Leads Minnesota GOP Straw Poll After Caucuses

ST. PAUL, MN — State House Speaker Lisa Demuth emerged as the early front-runner in the Minnesota Republican Party’s gubernatorial straw poll following precinct caucuses held statewide Monday night.

According to the Star Tribune, with 71 percent of votes tallied as of Wednesday morning, Demuth was leading the Minnesota GOP’s non-binding straw poll, in which caucus-goers cast preference ballots for governor and selected delegates to the party’s state convention later this spring.

The straw poll does not determine the party’s nominee but is often viewed as an early indicator of candidate strength.

Other Republican candidates seeking the party’s endorsement also campaigned at caucus sites, including former Army veteran and past gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell.

Demuth’s early showing prompted an immediate response from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. DFL Chair Richard Carlbom criticized Demuth’s record and accused her of aligning with Trump on issues including tariffs, immigration enforcement, abortion policy, and taxes.

“Lisa Demuth has chosen Trump over our state, and Minnesotans won’t forget it,” Carlbom said in a statement.

On the Democratic side, there is no competitive race currently expected for governor. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar launched her campaign in January to succeed Gov. Tim Walz and does not face a high-profile primary challenger.