Minnesota House Speaker Demuth joins GOP governor primary

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth announced on Tuesday that she will compete in the August Republican primary for governor, setting up a three-way contest with the party's endorsed candidate, Kendall Qualls, and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell. Demuth made the announcement alongside her lieutenant governor running mate, Ryan Wilson.

Demuth had previously pledged to abide by the Republican Party's endorsement but reversed her decision following a state convention in Duluth last weekend where Qualls secured the nomination. The convention was marked by a voting irregularity involving electronic clickers used by delegates, which Demuth cited as undermining her confidence in the process. She stated that the anomalies, which affected the fifth and sixth ballots before being resolved, called the entire day's voting into question.

A key factor in her decision was a subsequent statement from Minnesota GOP Chairman Alex Plechash. While affirming the party's confidence in the convention results and its full backing of Qualls, Plechash also said Republican candidates for governor should not be bound by past pledges to abide by the endorsement, citing the voting issues. Demuth characterized...