Politics
NEW: Tim Walz Draws Formidable GOP Challenger
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, the leading Republican in the state’s legislature, announced Sunday that she will be seeking the GOP nomination in order to challenge incumbent Governor Tim Walz in 2026.
Walz is seeking what would be an unprecedented third-four year term as governor in the state. Should Demuth win, she will also be making history as the first woman to serve as governor in Minnesota, in addition to being the first Republican to win a statewide office in nearly 20 years.
The House speaker enters a crowded Republican primary field that currently includes Dr. Scott Jensen, who previously secured the GOP nomination in 2022, as well as business owner and Army veteran Kendall Qualls. State Rep. Kristin Robbins, who chairs the GOP-led anti-fraud committee in the state legislature, is also seeking the Republican nomination.
“I believe that we’ll be able to build a better and a stronger Minnesota here together. Businesses need to be able to succeed in what they’re doing and to be able to grow here in our state, families should be able to thrive. Our kids deserve an excellent education, and all Minnesotans need to be able to succeed,” Demuth told local outlet WCCO in an interview ahead of her official campaign launch.
Any eventual Republican nominee will certainly be facing an uphill battle due to Walz’s name recognition and fundraising connections in the state. Walz managed to defeat Jensen by eight percentage points in a Republican-favored midterm election cycle in 2022, an environment that will likely be flipped on its head in 2026 given typical midterm headwinds for the party currently occupying the White House.
Demuth assumed the Speaker role in February after previously serving as minority leader
Demuth believes her work in the legislature — which has frequently involved collaboration with Governor Walz and Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers in the blue-dominated state — sets her apart from other candidates. The 2024 election cycle produced a tie in the state legislature at 67 seats for each party, with Republicans gaining three seats in total.
“I know I’m the strongest candidate to take on Gov. Walz by my track record as Speaker of the House, I have been the only one of the Republican candidates that have sat across the table from Gov. Walz and negotiated in really trying times,” Demuth said. “I have respect for the office that Gov. Walz serves in, but I know I’m the best one to run for governor because I’m willing to get rid of all of the negative rhetoric and I’ve proven that I can work across party lines in a collaborative and bipartisan fashion, and Minnesotans are ready for that.”
Demuth officially launched her campaign on Sunday with a pointed video announcement in which she accused Governor Walz of dividing the state and “hating” supporters of President Donald Trump. “Enough. I’ve had enough of the hate and enough of the lies and enough of Tim Walz dividing Minnesotans to cover up his failures. Let’s be real. Tim Walz doesn’t just disagree with us. He hates us. He’s more focused on attacking President Trump than on fixing Minnesota,” she said.
The Republican lawmaker went on to paint a radically different picture of the state of Minnesota when she was growing up and its current condition under the former vice presidential nominee. “He blew the surplus, raised taxes, let fraud run wild. He attacked ICE and gave free health care to illegal immigrants. That’s not leadership, that’s betrayal,” the ad went on.
Demuth has stated that she will seek President Trump’s endorsement, a deviation from some Republicans running in traditionally blue states, many of whom have attempted to keep Trump at a distance in the past. “I think President Trump has done a great job delivering on the promises that he made when he was campaigning for his second term, and I think it is important to have that endorsement, so I will definitely be seeking that,” she said.
While polling has not accounted for Demuth’s entry into the race, a September poll from SurveyUSA found Walz leading in a hypothetical rematch with Jensen by just six percentage points, with 13 percent of respondents remaining undecided.
