Qualls reaches for final votes to put him over the top in GOP governor's contest
Kendall Qualls (left), candidate for governor, and his wife, Sheila, after his address to delegates at the GOP convention in Duluth, on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
Carly Danek for MPR News
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Kendall Qualls again came within a sliver of clinching the Republican Party endorsement in the race for governor on Saturday night.
On an eighth ballot, the businessman received 59.1% of the vote, while House Speaker Lisa Demuth received 38.5%. A ninth ballot was expected to take place Saturday evening.
The vote came after reports of “inconsistencies” with voting technology earlier in the day. An August primary is also expected in the race.
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