Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth has picked former state auditor candidate Ryan Wilson as her running mate for her campaign for governor in the 2026 election.

Wilson, the founder and former CEO of a clinical trials company who has worked as an attorney for Minnesota Republicans in election lawsuits, came closer in 2022 to defeating a Democratic-Farmer-Labor incumbent in a statewide race than any other GOP candidate.

At a Monday Capitol news conference announcing his candidacy for lieutenant governor, Wilson said he “didn’t hesitate” to join Demuth because he agreed with her priorities, which include fighting fraud in state government, improving education outcomes and taking a tougher stance on crime and public safety.

“Four years ago, I campaigned across this state meeting

See Full Page