# Lisa Demuth *American politician; Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives (2025–)* Lisa Demuth (née Pittman; born February 10, 1967) is a member of the [[Republican Party of Minnesota]] and has been speaker of the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]] since February 2025.[^1][^2] She represents District 13A in central [[Minnesota]], which takes in St. Joseph, Cold Spring and part of Stearns County.[^1][^2] House Republicans first elected her speaker on January 14, 2025, after Secretary of State [[Steve Simon]] ruled that no quorum was present.[^3] The [[Minnesota Supreme Court]] later ruled that this election was invalid for lack of a quorum. The full House elected her speaker on February 6, 2025, after an agreement ended a DFL boycott.[^2][^4] The Republican Party's endorsement for governor in 2026 went to Kendall Qualls.[^5] Demuth won the Republican nomination for governor on August 11, 2026.[^2] Her caucus announced legislation to combat fraud in state programs and made fraud, through [[House File 1]] and an Inspector General, its flagship 2026 priority.[^6][^7] The only House bill to repeal Minnesota Statutes §43A.191, [[House File 5143]], was filed by seven members on May 13, 2026. A project analysis identifies §43A.191 as the statute the United States is suing over. Demuth is not an author of the bill, and it received no hearing and no vote.[^7] The [[United States Department of Justice]] announced its suit on January 14, 2026, in a release titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*.[^8] ## Early life, education, and career Demuth was born Lisa Marie Pittman in Paynesville. Her mother and a stepfather who had immigrated from Panama raised her, and she finished high school at Bloomington Kennedy.[^2] She first won a seat on the Rocori school board in 2007 through write-in votes, and voters returned her for two more terms.[^2] ## Minnesota House of Representatives Demuth won the District 13A House seat in 2018.[^9] Her predecessor in the seat, [[Jeff Howe]], recruited her to run when he left to seek a seat in the [[Minnesota Senate]].[^2] In the 2021–22 session she was an assistant minority leader.[^2] The 2022 election left the House in DFL control. The Republican caucus then chose Demuth to lead it for the 2023–24 biennium, and she served as minority leader from 2023 to 2025.[^10][^2] The American Conservative Union's scorecard rated her less conservative than the average Republican legislator. She opposes abortion and backed fetal heartbeat legislation in the House.[^2] As speaker, she was pressed by the parents of a student killed at Annunciation to let a gun bill move in the House.[^11] ### 2025 speaker dispute The 94th [[Minnesota Legislature]] opened on January 14, 2025. The 66 DFL members-elect stayed away to prevent a quorum, so only the 67 Republicans attended. Simon, who was presiding, ruled that there was no quorum and adjourned. The Republicans then elected Demuth speaker and conducted business with her presiding for about two weeks.[^3][^12][^2] On January 24 the Minnesota Supreme Court held that, because a quorum had been absent, her election was invalid.[^2] The project analysis dates the power-sharing agreement to February 6, 2025. Wikipedia places the agreement on February 5.[^7][^2] On February 6 the full House convened and elected Demuth speaker, which ended the boycott.[^4][^13][^14] Under the agreement, Republicans held the speakership for the biennium and had outright committee control until a special election in March 2025.[^7] ## 2026 Minnesota gubernatorial campaign Demuth declared her candidacy for governor on November 2, 2025.[^15][^16] On November 10, 2025, she named attorney Ryan Wilson as her running mate.[^17][^18] Her campaign's PAC accepted $1.1 million in donations from Richard Uihlein, the owner of Uline.[^2] On precinct caucus night, February 3, 2026, she led the Republican gubernatorial straw polls.[^19] The party endorsement went to Kendall Qualls.[^5] Demuth won the Republican nomination on August 11, 2026.[^2] ## Political positions ### Administration As a candidate, Demuth called for a nonpartisan Office of Inspector General to investigate fraud in state agencies.[^2] In early 2025 she and other Republican leaders introduced House File 1, as House Republicans announced legislation against fraud in state programs.[^6][^2] As of May 2026, the House had passed an updated bipartisan version.[^2] Releases from her House office urged Governor Walz and the Minnesota Department of Education to hold hearings and provide transparency on a fraud scandal.[^20] Another release called for action after an audit that the release described as revealing state mismanagement.[^21] In the 2026 Minnesota Public Radio voter guide, she said the state had endured "16 years of failed Democrat leadership in the executive branch".[^2] ### Economy and energy She has said she wants to expand Iron Range mining, shorten permitting timelines and repeal the state's ban on nuclear energy.[^2] ### Education She has said schools should return their focus to reading, math, writing and science, citing Minnesota's decline in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's state rankings. She supports a federal scholarship tax credit.[^2] In 2025 she sponsored a bill to create Education Savings Accounts. These would have given state funds for educational expenses to eligible students from low-income households.[^2] ### Public safety She has called for longer sentences for repeat offenders.[^2] ## Personal life Demuth married at 18 in 1985 and moved to Joliet, Illinois; that marriage ended two years later. She married Nick Demuth in 1991. The couple lives in Cold Spring, co-owns and manages commercial property, and has four children.[^2] She attends an Assemblies of God congregation in Cold Spring.[^2] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - As speaker, Demuth is not among the seven authors of House File 5143. The House majority leader is also not an author, and no Senate Republican filed a companion bill.[^7] ### What - House File 5143 is the only bill filed to repeal Minnesota Statutes §43A.191. It runs two pages, set against nine statutory and eight rule sections. It had no Senate companion, no hearing, no debate, no vote and no fiscal note.[^7] - The project analysis identifies §43A.191 as the statute the United States sues over.[^7] - The Department of Justice's release No. 26-21 is titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*. In it, Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^8] ### When - February 6, 2025: the power-sharing agreement, as dated in the project analysis, under which Republicans held the speakership for the biennium.[^7] - January 14, 2026: the Department of Justice announced its lawsuit against Minnesota.[^8] - May 13, 2026: House File 5143 was filed, five days before constitutional adjournment.[^7] ### Why - House Republicans described their 2026 legislative program as aimed at fraud in state programs.[^6] - The project analysis states that the caucus's flagship 2026 priority was fraud, pursued through House File 1 and an Inspector General.[^7] - The same analysis states that the caucus never named §43A.191 as a priority, at the convention or on any major candidate's platform. The analysis itself marks the candidate-platform finding for confirmation.[^7] - The record shows who filed the repeal bill, when it was filed and what became of it. It does not establish why leadership did not join it.[^7] ## Notes [^1]: Minnesota House of Representatives, *Rep. Lisa Demuth member profile* (undated) — District 13A membership. https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/15498 [^2]: Wikipedia, *Lisa Demuth* (revision 1380564785, retrieved October 26, 2026) — birth, district cities, early life, school board, House career, Supreme Court ruling, nomination, positions, personal life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Demuth [^3]: Minnesota House of Representatives, *Session Daily*, Story 18429 (January 14, 2025) — Simon rules no quorum; Republicans elect Demuth speaker. https://www.house.mn.gov/SessionDaily/Story/18429 [^4]: Minnesota House of Representatives, *Session Daily*, Story 18450 (February 2025) — full House convenes for the first time in 2025 and elects Demuth speaker. https://www.house.mn.gov/SessionDaily/Story/18450 [^5]: Star Tribune, *Kendall Qualls secures GOP endorsement for Minnesota governor over Lisa Demuth* (2026) — party endorsement to Qualls. https://www.startribune.com/kendall-qualls-wins-republican-gop-endorsement-minnesota-governor-lisa-demuth-primary/601845121 [^6]: Minnesota House of Representatives, Rep. Demuth news release, *House Republicans unveil legislation to combat fraud in state programs* (undated) — caucus fraud legislation. https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/49989 [^7]: Project analysis, *The Instrument No One Will Name* (densified, June 18, 2026; validated pack passage, no URL in pack) — HF 5143 authorship, filing date and history; leadership absences; fraud priority; §43A.191; power-sharing agreement date and terms. [^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, release No. 26-21 (January 14, 2026) — suit announced; Attorney General Bondi certified the case as of general public importance. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^9]: Ballotpedia, *Lisa Demuth* (undated) — 2018 election in HD13A. https://ballotpedia.org/Lisa_Demuth [^10]: Minnesota House of Representatives, *Session Daily*, Story 17481 (2022) — Demuth to lead House Republicans in the 2023–24 biennium. https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/17481 [^11]: Star Tribune, *Parents of slain Annunciation student pressure Demuth to allow gun bill to move in the House* (2026) — pressure on the speaker over a gun bill. https://www.startribune.com/parents-of-slain-annunciation-student-pressure-demuth-to-allow-gun-bill-to-move-in-the-house/601839907 [^12]: KAAL-TV, *Republicans override Simon's adjournment of House, elect Demuth as speaker* (January 14, 2025) — events of the opening session. https://www.kaaltv.com/news/republicans-override-simons-adjournment-of-house-elect-demuth-as-speaker/ [^13]: St. Cloud Times, *Minnesota Democrats end boycott in House; Demuth chosen as speaker* (February 6, 2025) — power-sharing agreement ends DFL boycott. https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/06/minnesota-democrats-end-boycott-in-house-demuth-chosen-as-speaker/78295446007/ [^14]: KTTC, *Agreement appears to be reached in Minnesota House* (February 6, 2025) — agreement; Demuth set to be speaker. https://www.kttc.com/2025/02/06/agreement-appears-be-reached-minnesota-house/ [^15]: Minnesota Public Radio, *Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth will run for Minnesota governor* (November 2, 2025) — candidacy announced. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/11/02/republican-house-speaker-lisa-demuth-will-run-for-minnesota-governor [^16]: Minnesota Reformer, *GOP Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth launches campaign for governor* (November 2, 2025) — campaign launch. https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/11/02/gop-minnesota-house-speaker-lisa-demuth-launches-campaign-for-governor/ [^17]: Minnesota Public Radio, *Ryan Wilson picked as Republican Lisa Demuth's lieutenant governor running mate* (November 10, 2025) — running mate. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/11/10/ryan-wilson-picked-as-republican-lisa-demuths-lieutenant-governor-running-mate [^18]: Star Tribune, *Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth picks Ryan Wilson to be her running mate in bid for governor* (November 2025) — running mate. https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-house-speaker-lisa-demuth-picks-ryan-wilson-to-be-her-running-mate-in-bid-for-governor/601522167 [^19]: Minnesota Reformer, *Demuth leads in Minnesota GOP gubernatorial straw polls on precinct caucus night* (February 3, 2026) — straw poll results. https://minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/03/demuth-leads-in-minnesota-gop-gubernatorial-straw-polls-on-precinct-caucus-night/ [^20]: Minnesota House of Representatives, Rep. Demuth news release, *Demuth urges hearings, transparency from Walz, MDE on fraud scandal* (undated) — call for hearings and transparency. https://house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/47920 [^21]: Minnesota House of Representatives, Rep. Demuth news release, *Demuth calls for action after yet another audit reveals state mismanagement* (undated) — response to audit. https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/49843