Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth has won the Republican primary for governor, prevailing over MyPillow founder and longtime Trump ally Mike Lindell, according to a race call by the Associated Press. The result sets up a general election contest in the fall against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who won her party’s primary.
Demuth’s victory ends a high-profile GOP nomination fight in which Lindell—described by multiple outlets as a Trump-backed figure and an election-conspiracy personality—entered the race with the advantage of prominent national support. NBC News reported that Lindell received President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and noted that Demuth’s win was widely viewed as an upset despite Lindell having led in limited public polling going into Election Day.
In the GOP race, the contest was not limited to just the top two names. The field included other Republican candidates, including business executive Kendall Qualls, who appeared in reporting that also featured event-stage photographs of the candidates alongside Klobuchar and Demuth during the campaign season.
Demuth, a Republican and the speaker of the Minnesota House, was positioned by supporters as a practical state leader with deep legislative experience. The campaign attention surrounding her came into sharp focus as she took on a challenger whose brand had been closely linked to Trump-era political narratives and Lindell’s well-known public profile. By the time voters cast ballots, the nomination battle had become a referendum not only on individual candidates, but on competing visions for the direction of the state Republican Party.
Multiple reports indicated that Lindell initially looked strong. A KSTP/SurveyUSA poll published shortly before the primary described the race as tightening but still competitive, with Lindell continuing to lead in the Republican governor field. The same poll suggested that the GOP contest depended heavily on age demographics: Lindell drew 40% support among voters aged 18 to 34, while Demuth received 14% in that younger group. Among voters 65 and older, Demuth earned 41% compared with Lindell’s 28%, highlighting a clear split in support across age lines.
That demographic picture also appeared to raise questions about turnout and vote certainty. The poll reported that only about one-third of voters in the 18-34 range said they would “definitely” vote in the primary, compared with roughly half of voters 65 and older who said they would be definite voters. With those uncertainties, the question heading into Election Day was whether Lindell’s early strength would translate into enough committed support to win the nomination.
While the poll snapshot showed Lindell in front, news coverage leading into and during the vote emphasized the possibility of a narrow outcome. KSTP and SurveyUSA reported that Tuesday night could be decided by a slim margin, framing the contest as one that had not fully settled as voters neared Election Day.
Ultimately, the statewide result broke in Demuth’s favor. NPR reported that Associated Press called the primary after Demuth “fended off” Lindell, meaning the speaker overcame the candidate backed by Trump. NPR also framed Demuth as the winner in the GOP contest for governor, while making clear that Lindell had carried the endorsement of the former president.
Demuth’s path to the nomination now leads directly to the general election stage. NBC News projected that Demuth defeated Lindell for the Republican nomination and that the general election matchup would be against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. NBC News also reported that Klobuchar won her Democratic primary decisively, clearing the way for the fall contest against the GOP nominee.
The political significance of the matchup is heightened by Klobuchar’s long tenure in the Senate. Reporting cited by New Nation also described Klobuchar as a Minnesota senator since 2007, and framed her Democratic primary performance as strong. In contrast, the GOP side has been marked by a surprise turn: Lindell’s national endorsement did not translate into enough support to capture the Republican nomination.
KSTP/SurveyUSA earlier described the Republican race as tightening between Demuth and Lindell, and the final outcome confirms how that shift played out. Even with Trump’s endorsement, Lindell was unable to secure the nomination, and Demuth emerged as the candidate Republicans will rally behind for the general election.
For Demuth, the win is also a step beyond her role inside Minnesota’s statehouse. As the speaker of the Minnesota House, she has already occupied a central leadership position in state politics, and the primary victory elevates her from legislative leadership to the top of the ticket for the governor’s race.
Lindell’s loss, meanwhile, represents a setback for a faction of Minnesota Republicans seeking a nominee with a national profile tied closely to Trump and to Lindell’s public political activism. NBC News characterized Lindell’s nomination bid as an upset, reinforcing the view that his early momentum and endorsement were insufficient to win a statewide contest.
As the fall campaign begins, both major parties now face a new set of questions: Democrats will seek to consolidate strength behind Klobuchar as she heads into a general election against a Republican nominee who is rooted in Minnesota legislative leadership. Republicans will aim to translate Demuth’s primary victory—achieved despite Lindell’s endorsement and initial polling strength—into a broader coalition for the governor’s race.
For voters, the nomination result offers a clear signal: in Minnesota’s 2026 governor contest, the race for the Republican ticket ultimately went to the state House speaker rather than the Trump-endorsed figure with a national spotlight. With Klobuchar waiting in the fall, Demuth’s ability to broaden appeal beyond her base will likely determine whether the GOP can make gains in the state’s statewide executive branch.
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