ST. PAUL — Minnesota Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth announced a bid for governor on Sunday, Nov. 2, joining a crowded race for Republicans looking to beat Gov. Tim Walz.

She joins her colleague Rep. Kristin Robbins , of Maple Grove, and two former gubernatorial candidates, Scott Jensen and Kendall Qualls. Demuth said she’s the best candidate to take on Walz in 2026 because she’s the only one who has “sat across the table from him.”

Demuth spent hours in the negotiating room with Walz in the 2025 session, vying for House Republicans’ priorities in the state’s two-year budget. The House landing in a tie after the 2024 elections offered a seat at the table to Republicans that was not afforded during the DFL trifecta.

“I have already had the opportunity to negotiate with him — with

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