After announcing he was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term last year—something no Minnesota governor has ever done—Tim Walz decided on Jan. 5 that he had changed his mind. Four months later, the race to succeed Walz remains highly competitive with a slate of 15 candidates jockeying for the governor’s office.
Keep reading for a full breakdown of who’s running for Minnesota governor this year and how the candidates are faring in the latest polling. Learn about other key races in Minnesota this midterm election here.
Democrats
There are seven Democratic candidates in the Minnesota governor’s race as of this writing: Rick DeVoe, Thomas Evenstad, Paul Ference, Amy Klobuchar, Kobey Layne, Christopher Seymore, and Po Vang.
Sen. Klobuchar is the highest-profile name and leading candidate among the Democratic contenders in this race. She has represented Minnesota in the US Senate for 19 years, having been appointed in 2006 and serving as the state’s senior senator since 2009. Klobuchar is known to be a policy wonk who’s ranked one of the most bipartisan members of the US Senate and she launched a gubernatorial campaign less than a month after Walz announced his resignation.
Klobuchar recently announced her first policy proposal, an anti-fraud plan that includes a legislative audit “on day one” and a call to modernize outdated technology. She’s also prioritizing lower costs for housing, childcare, and healthcare, and holding Minnesota’s government to be “innovative, effective, and accountable.”
The latest polling in the race shows Klobuchar leading each of her opponents by at least 14 percentage points.
Republicans
There are eight Republicans still in the race: Peggy Bennett, Lisa Demuth, Raul Estrada, Patrick Knight, John Krhin, Mike Lindell, Phillip Parish, and Kendall Qualls.
Three candidates—Minnesota House Speaker Rep. Demuth, MyPillow founder Lindell, and Qualls, the founder and president of the nonprofit TakeCharge—are currently leading among the Republican contenders for governor..
Demuth led an equally divided House this legislative session as the first Black Minnesota House speaker. She was elected after her colleague and co-speaker, DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman, was shot and killed last summer. Demuth led the Republican primary precinct caucuses in February, touting anti-fraud policies. She wants to cut state taxes, reduce energy costs, and “dramatically reset” youth education.
Lindell is a vocal Donald Trump supporter and proud election-denier. While he has no experience in the political world, he’s become a high-profile public figure thanks to his fame from creating MyPillow. Trump has also publicly backed Lindell for the governor position. Similar to many other GOP candidates, Lindell’s focus is on fighting fraud, slashing taxes, and lowering crime rates.
Qualls won the gubernatorial straw poll last December, beating Demuth and Lindell. He’s known as a “perennial candidate,” having run for office twice, but losing both times. In 2020, he ran for Minnesota’s 3rd congressional district against Democrat Dean Phillips. While he won the GOP primary, he lost in the general election. Qualls also ran for governor in 2022, but lost the GOP primary to Scott Jensen. Qualls is running on increasing job growth, cutting crime, and improving students’ educational outcomes.
What’s next?
Both the state DFL and GOP conventions are being held May 29-31, with party endorsements for governor taking place the very first day. To stay informed, be sure to bookmark and follow Courier Minnesota on the social platform of your choice and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
