Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth has won the Republican gubernatorial primary, securing the party's nomination to contest November's general election for the seat being vacated by outgoing Democratic Governor Tim Walz. Her win is notable because she had lost the official party endorsement at the state convention, yet chose to remain in the race and ultimately prevailed with voters, including over MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell, who had campaigned with the backing of Donald Trump.

At the state convention, rival candidate Kendall Qualls won the Republican Party's formal endorsement after a marathon ten rounds of voting. Demuth, however, argued that her legislative experience and record leading House Republicans made her the stronger choice for the general election, and she pressed on to the primary rather than bowing out. She will now face the eventual Democratic nominee in November as Minnesota Republicans seek to reclaim the governorship.