Who will lead Minnesota Republicans in the governor’s race?
Minnesota Republicans are heading into their state convention with a high-stakes decision: Who should lead the party’s fight for governor?
House Speaker Lisa Demuth, businessman Kendall Qualls and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell are all trying to win over GOP delegates – but they represent very different visions for the party. Demuth is running as the insider who can point to results at the Capitol. Qualls is pitching himself as a conservative outsider who would take a harder line. Lindell, a close Trump ally, is making the case that he is the true anti-establishment candidate.
Minnesota Star Tribune politics reporters Walker Orenstein and Nathaniel Minor join host Melissa Townsend to break down the Republican race for governor, why the party endorsement matters so much in Minnesota, what each candidate is arguing, and what the contest reveals about the future of the Minnesota GOP.
This episode also looks at the bigger question facing Republicans in 2026: Should the party nominate the candidate who can win over the middle or the one who fires up the base?
0:00 Minnesota’s next big political fight
1:33 Why the GOP endorsement matters
3:07 When candidates buck the party
5:06 What really happens at a convention
6:34 Why the governor race is wide open
7:14 Insider vs. outsider politics
11:19 Lisa Demuth’s fast rise
15:01 The gun bill controversy
19:09 How Demuth is making history
21:16 Kendall Qualls’ outsider campaign
24:56 Why his message connects
27:06 Mike Lindell enters the race
30:28 What a Lindell rally looks like
33:56 Three candidates, three GOP factions
36:22 The Trump factor in Minnesota
39:09 What the Legislature changed
42:04 The affordability fight
43:48 The Amy Klobuchar challenge
44:56 What happens next
More from Essential Minnesota: https://www.startribune.com/essential-minnesota/601583462
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