Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth came out on top in a crowded field of Republican candidates for governor in straw polls held across the state Tuesday night at GOP precinct caucuses.

Of the 12 candidates listed on the ballot, Demuth had around 32% of roughly 17,600 votes cast by Republican voters at local party gatherings across the state. Results were incomplete, but more than 96% of precincts had reported as of early Wednesday afternoon.

The straw poll offers an early look into the 2026 contest for the GOP endorsement, and could inform candidates on whether they should remain in the race. The party describes participants as representing “the most politically active Republicans in Minnesota” and calls the poll the “first major test of grassroots support.”

Precinct caucuses are often described as the starting line for Minnesota elections.

Other candidates

In second place was Kendall Qualls, who had close to 26% of caucus-goers’ support. Qualls sought the GOP endorsement in 2022 and previously ran for Congress. Mike Lindell, MyPillow CEO and noted supporter of President Donald Trump, had 17% support.

Scott Jensen, a doctor who rose to prominence for his criticism of state COVID policy, had 6% of the vote. None of the other candidates had more than 1,000 votes in the straw poll.

The others listed on the ballot included businessman Patrick Knight, state Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, and former St. Cloud City Council Member Jeff Johnson.

Besides the straw poll, precinct caucuses also elect convention delegates and consider changes to party platforms. It’s the first stop on the way to the state party conventions in May.

What’s next?

The first caucuses kick off a series of spring conventions of growing scale and stakes. The first will be local organizational conventions, which handle endorsements for state Legislative candidates. Then come Congressional District conventions, where party members endorse candidates for the U.S. House.

The Republican’s statewide endorsement convention for governor is scheduled for the last weekend in May in Duluth. Candidates don’t always honor their party’s endorsement and will sometimes advance to the August primary election, which officially determines the party nominee. Demuth has pledged to honor her party’s endorsement, though other GOP candidates, such as Lindell, have left their options open.

In a statement late Tuesday, Demuth thanked caucus-goers for giving her and running mate Ryan Wilson a strong start.

“In just three months since I announced my campaign for governor, our team has focused our efforts on organizing and empowering Minnesotans who are looking for a strong conservative and proven leader to get our state back on track after two disastrous terms of Tim Walz,” she said, then turning to her new Democratic-Farmer-Labor opponent. “We know Amy Klobuchar would give us nothing more than a rubber stamp Walz third term.”

As of the beginning of 2026, Demuth had more money on hand than any other GOP candidate for governor, with around $447,000. Robbins had about $353,000, though she had raised and spent more than Demuth did in 2025. Qualls, Jensen, Knight and Lindell were the only other candidates who had raised or spent six-figure sums.

Demuth is campaigning on fighting fraud in state government, improving education outcomes, and taking a tougher stance on crime and public safety. When Gov. Tim Walz announced his would not seek reelection, he pledged to seek stronger gun control laws and resist the Trump administration.

Straw polls are held for gubernatorial races during district caucuses but not other races.

DFL caucuses

The Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party also held precinct caucuses Tuesday night, though they only have one major candidate for governor — U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Klobuchar has performed well statewide in every election since she first won office in 2006 and has always led her Republican competitors by double-digit percentage margins. No Republican has won an election for statewide office since 2006.

While Klobuchar has not filed paperwork for her gubernatorial campaign committee yet — she entered the race officially in 2026 — she has a strong fundraising record. At the end of 2025, her Senate committee had more than $2 million on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings. It had raised more than $2.4 million and had spent close to $2.2 million.

DFL Chair Richard Carlbom said he expected a significant turnout at Tuesday’s local party meetings as the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues in Minnesota, something he called an “unprecedented retribution campaign.”

Total attendance at DFL caucuses statewide was roughly 30,000, the party said, claiming that many were first-time attendees.

In response to Demuth’s win at the precinct caucuses, Carlbom tied the Republican frontrunner to Trump, describing her as having “fully embraced the most destructive Trump policies” like tariffs and a hardline stance on immigration.

“As Trump unleashed his retribution campaign on Minnesota, Demuth defended Donald Trump instead of her state and blamed local law enforcement for the crisis,” Carlbom said in a statement. “She has continued to chase Trump’s endorsement — even as his

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agenda increases prices and explodes health care costs for Minnesotans. Lisa Demuth has chosen Trump over our state, and Minnesotans won’t forget it.”