Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Politics and Election News
Dana Ferguson

Minnesota voters set to hire their next governor — and make a little history

two candidates for governor shake hands across two podiums
Democrat U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, left, and Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth shake hands after a gubernatorial debate on Oct. 21 at the studio of KTTC/KXLT in Rochester.
Jeff Wheeler | Pool via The Minnesota Star Tribune

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Quick Read

Minnesota will have its first woman as governor. The historic election follows a campaign full of twists.
2026 Election HubYour ballot, voting information and the latest updates

Minnesota will make history on Tuesday, electing a woman as governor for the first time.

Democratic nominee Amy Klobuchar and Republican nominee Lisa Demuth vied to become Minnesota’s 42nd governor after a roller coaster of a campaign.

The race offers a change after eight years with DFL Gov. Tim Walz at the helm. Both candidates have cast themselves as the right candidate to meet the moment.

Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House, entered the race last year as part of a crowded field of Republicans vying to unseat Walz, who was pursuing an unprecedented third consecutive four-year term in office.

Demuth touted her work in the divided House. She said voters needed to send Republicans to St. Paul to clean up fraud in state government programs. The former school board member and businesswoman also committed to trimming the state’s budget, which she said ballooned under DFL control in 2023 and 2024 without enough return on investment.

As reports of fraud in Minnesota intensified late last year, the Trump administration withheld funds to the state. The administration ultimately deployed thousands of immigration agents to Minnesota in the name of fighting fraud. Two U.S. citizens were killed by federal agents and hundreds were detained.

Then came another twist: Walz withdrew his reelection bid citing a desire to spend his final months in office combatting fraud. The move shook up the race and created an opening for Klobuchar, Minnesota’s senior U.S. senator, to step in.

Klobuchar committed to fighting fraud by launching an audit of state government and using her background as a former Hennepin County attorney to prosecute those who abuse taxpayer money. She also pointed to her background working across the aisle in Washington. She said St. Paul would benefit from a governor willing to set partisanship aside.

While Klobuchar easily won the DFL endorsement in May, Demuth lost at the Republican Party convention to businessman Kendall Qualls. After a kerfuffle with voting devices at the convention in Duluth, party leaders gave candidates the go ahead to run in a primary, even if they’d committed to abide by the endorsement.

That laid the groundwork for a three-way primary between Qualls, Demuth and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, who was President Donald Trump’s pick. Demuth won and advanced to the head-to-head contest with Klobuchar.

Both women have broken barriers during their political careers. Klobuchar was the first woman elected Hennepin County attorney and first woman chosen by Minnesota voters to represent them in the U.S. Senate. Demuth was the first woman and first Black Minnesotan to serve as House Republican Caucus leader and as House speaker.

Editor’s note: MPR News will update this story through the day and into Tuesday night as ballots are counted.