Lisa Demuth to stay in race for Minnesota governor after losing GOP endorsement

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth says she is continuing her bid for governor after losing the GOP endorsement to businessman Kendall Qualls over the weekend.

Tuesday morning, Demuth said she had filed to run in the August primary with her running mate Ryan Wilson, walking back on a pledge she made to drop out if she wasn't endorsed.

"Our intent is to take that message that we have been talking about the entire time we entered the race and make sure that Minnesotans are given a fair chance to put a Republican to finally defeat Amy Klobuchar on the ballot," she said.

In February Demuth told WCCO's Esme Murphy that she was "committed to both seek and abide by the endorsement," after finishing ahead in a straw poll at the GOP caucus.

"I am hoping we can just narrow that field, send our endorsed candidate ready to defeat whatever Democrat ends up on the ballot in November," she told Murphy.

Demuth was considered a frontrunner to be the Republican pick but was beat out by Qualls at the convention after 10 rounds of voting. The MAGA supporters of another candidate, MyPillow tycoon Mike Lindell, shifted their votes to Qualls after Lindell was forced to drop out.

There were, however, voting irregularities through the night; the GOP said there was a "significant disruption during the fifth round of balloting" but "stands behind the results" of the data.

"Because of the unusual circumstances and the confusion caused by the disruption, I believe it is appropriate to make clear that any gubernatorial candidate who agreed to abide by the endorsement, should not be treated as bound by that pledge. Those candidates may make their own decision about whether to continue their campaign into the primary," Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Alex Plechash said Monday night.

Demuth said the party's message acknowledging the anomalies "felt like a full release that we could go forward."

"We are hearing from Minnesotans that are saying go forward in this, we need you, and that's what has made our decision," Demuth says.

Demuth carries a significant cash advantage to Qualls, with $443,000 on hand compared to Qualls' $100,000. 

Plechash said that, "Only our endorsed candidate for Governor, Kendall Qualls, will receive the full support, resources, and organizational backing of the state party."

Qualls said Demuth is "putting vanity and political ambitions ahead of giving Republicans their best chance in decades to elect a conservative governor."

The GOP candidate will face DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the November election.