DULUTH, Minn. — Former healthcare executive Kendall Qualls won the state Republican Party’s endorsement for governor, It took 10 ballots for Qualls — a drawn-out and tiring battle that narrowed a crowded field that included House Speaker Lisa Demuth. In recent weeks Demuth had emerged as the front-runner. In the end the 1,800 delegates at the nomination convention gave Qualls the required 60% majority. Qualls pulled 60.4%, ahead of Demuth at 37.4%. Like most speakers at the convention Qualls consistently bad-mouthed two-term Democratic Governor Tm Walz — even though Walz isn’t running for re-election and the Democratic candidate in November almost certainly will be U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Qualls said that the state under Walz had become “the freak show of the upper Midwest, the epicenter for fraud.” Republicans, he said, have the opportunity now to win a first statewide office since Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2006:

“Something has to change. With the whole world watching, will we finally end 20 years of statewide defeat.”

The convention’s endorsement of Qualls normally would make hm a shoe-in for the party’s official nomination in the August primary election and then go on the November general election ballot. That may not happen this time. After losing at the nominating convention in Duluth, Demuth refused to deliver even a perfunctory congratulations. To news reporters who asked whether she would shut down her campaign, Demuth declined to comment. This was a contrast with normal custom. It also contradicted a pledge earlier when Demuth was considered the frontrunner that she would abide by the convention’s choice.

QUALLS kendall gop guv cand 2o2y copy - Winona Journal

Qualls. From an ultra-upscale Minneapolis suburb in the western lake country. Unsuccessful as 2022 candidate for the US. House. New York born. Age 62.

The Lindell comedown

Mike Lindell, well-known for his MyPillow television pitches in the 2000s, had polled in 2025 as the leading Republican for governor. But at the endorsement convention he pulled less than 21% in fourth of 10 ballots. Even though 0ut of further consideration, Lindell vowed to contest the vote and to continue his campaign for the primary election in August. Earlier in addressing the convention, ahead of the voting, Lindell made one of the few references to President Donald Trump. He showed a video in which Trump praised Lindell and said he “deserves to be governor of Minnesota.” It was a dated clip. In fact Trump passed over Lindell’s hints for a 2024 cabinet post and had been turned away politely from Oval Office access. Since then Lindell has persisted with false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. The dated and misleading video about a Trump endorsement was received as out of place considering current polls show a nearly 70% disapproval of his performance as president. Lindell ‘s presence seemed further out of place in view of court rulings against his conspiracy illusions about the 2020 presidential election and the failure of his MyPillow business enterprise.