Lisa Demuth Becomes First Black Woman To Win Minnesota Governor Primary, Will Face Klobuchar In November

ST. PAUL, MN — Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth won the Republican primary for governor Tuesday, defeating former MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and GOP-endorsed candidate Kendall Qualls, according to a call from Decision Desk HQ.

Demuth's win makes her the first Black major-party nominee for governor in Minnesota history. She will face Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who was also declared the winner of her party's primary Tuesday night, in the November general election.

Demuth, a fourth-term state representative from Cold Spring, has served as speaker of the Minnesota House since 2024. She campaigned on cutting taxes, fighting government fraud and addressing crime, and chose attorney Ryan Wilson as her running mate.

Lindell, who stepped down as MyPillow's CEO earlier this month to focus on his campaign, entered the race with an endorsement from President Donald Trump but never won over the state party, which backed Qualls at a contentious May convention that took 10 ballots to decide.

Qualls, an Army veteran and former health care executive, held the party's formal endorsement but trailed both Demuth and Lindell in polling heading into Tuesday's vote.

The Republican primary field included seven candidates in total. Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor since 2006.

Klobuchar, a fourth term U.S. senator, entered the governor's race in January after Gov. Tim Walz announced he would not seek a third term. She had the DFL endorsement and defeated six other Democratic candidates, including Kobey Layne and Bill Gates Jr.

Editor's Note: Vote totals are updated live. Refresh the page to see the latest results. Numbers will populate as soon as the Minnesota Secretary of State begins releasing results.

MN Republican Governor Primary Election: Preliminary Results