Demuth Tops Lindell for Minnesota GOP Governor Nomination
Cover image from npr.org, which was analyzed for this article
GOP nominee Lisa Demuth defeated Trump-endorsed Mike Lindell in the Minnesota governor's race, while progressive Peggy Flanagan won the Democratic Senate primary.
PoliticalOS
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 — Politics
Demuth’s win over the Trump-endorsed candidate and Flanagan’s defeat of a moderate incumbent both occurred in the same primary cycle. The results leave Minnesota Republicans seeking their first gubernatorial victory in two decades while testing whether progressive momentum in the Democratic primary translates to the general election.
What outlets missed
Most coverage omitted detailed turnout figures or county-level breakdowns that would clarify whether Demuth’s margin reflected broad participation or narrower engagement. Few outlets examined the specific provisions of the Laken Riley Act beyond noting its expansion of enforcement authority or its bipartisan passage. Little attention was given to Qualls’s third-place finish or his prior unsuccessful runs for Congress and governor. The mechanics of a potential Senate vacancy if Klobuchar wins the general election received minimal mention outside one outlet.
Minnesota voters selected Lisa Demuth as the Republican nominee for governor and Peggy Flanagan as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in primaries held August 11, 2026. Demuth, the state House speaker, received 43.6 percent of the Republican vote to Mike Lindell’s 32.3 percent, according to results reported by multiple outlets. Flanagan defeated Representative Angie Craig by nearly 20 percentage points with more than 95 percent of votes counted, per Associated Press projections.
The Republican contest tested the reach of an endorsement from President Donald Trump, who publicly backed Lindell in the weeks before the vote. The state Republican Party had endorsed Kendall Qualls at its May convention. Demuth, who secured neither endorsement, led the field and will face Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar in November. Klobuchar won her party’s gubernatorial primary with 89.7 percent of the vote after 99 percent of ballots were tallied.
Flanagan’s Senate victory occurred against the backdrop of a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities that began in December 2025. She criticized Craig’s vote for the Laken Riley Act, legislation that passed with bipartisan support and expanded federal authority to arrest, detain, and deport individuals. Craig later stated she regretted the vote. Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, received endorsements from Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Lindell, founder of MyPillow, had faced questions from the state Republican Party about residency requirements and separate allegations of physical abuse, both of which he denied. He had also been ordered to pay $2.3 million to a Dominion Voting Systems executive in a 2025 defamation case tied to 2020 election claims. Demuth emphasized her record managing a narrowly divided House and her ability to build cross-party support.
Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor since 2006. The Cook Political Report rates the governor’s race as Solid Democrat. Flanagan will face former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya in the Senate general election.
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