Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth made a notable break this week from President Donald Trump on the war in Iran.
“As we’ve watched things go forward, it is time to put an end to that war. I really believe that,” Demuth said at an unrelated news conference on Thursday.
Demuth said the increased prices — namely gas, groceries, or fertilizer — due to the war are “hurting Minnesotans, and I absolutely, I acknowledge that.” Affordability has been one of her top issues in her campaign for governor.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar,. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
It’s a notable break because, just two weeks ago, Demuth did not clearly take a stance on the war in Iran when asked by reporters, reverting focus back to state issues. Her opponent, Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, has taken a clear stance against the war.
“Today, while Lisa Demuth for the first time uttered any concern about this war, Amy Klobuchar was in the Senate taking another vote to actually end this war, which she opposed from the start,” a spokesperson for Klobuchar’s campaign said Thursday.
“Minnesotans need a governor who is going to stand up to Donald Trump when Minnesotans are hurting — not offer half-hearted responses because she’s under attack for not standing up to Trump,” they said.
The DFL has been attempting to tie Demuth to Trump, clipping Demuth’s non-stance on Iran, and saying that Demuth can’t name “one thing” she disagrees with on Trump. Klobuchar has also been using the Trump connection as an attack point.
Demuth on Thursday said she has previously made some distance from Trump on tariffs and foreign beef.
“I’ve talked to cattle ranchers in the state of Minnesota; I see that very differently, and the tariffs that have made things more expensive,” Demuth said. “And so, depending on what you’re looking at, there is a difference. Maybe it just wasn’t talked about as much.”
The president did not endorse House Speaker Demuth in the gubernatorial primary; rather, he endorsed former MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Demuth acknowledged that Thursday, saying “I was not his pick.”
It’s not clear, especially given Demuth’s recent breaks, whether Trump could issue an endorsement for Demuth in the general after Lindell’s primary loss. He “double endorsed” in the 2026 South Carolina gubernatorial race when his original candidate fell behind in polls.
When asked in August whether she would welcome that endorsement, Demuth didn’t say yes or no; she said in August she hadn’t talked to anyone in the president’s administration in the week following the primary. A switch from when Demuth said she was seeking his endorsement in November of 2025.
But Minnesotans broke from Trump when they chose Demuth in August, so his approval may not be the be-all and end-all for Republican candidates in Minnesota.
Both of the women running for governor are both facing questions about men in their party that carry baggage: Demuth with Trump, and Klobuchar with Gov. Tim Walz.
Demuth has called Klobuchar a “Walz third term,” and Klobuchar has called Demuth a “rubber stamp” for Trump.
Klobuchar got out ahead of that dynamic during one of her first news conferences, when she rolled out policy to combat fraud and said, “I obviously am going to do things differently than Gov. Walz.”
Meanwhile, Demuth has been slower to publicly distance herself like she did Thursday.
Demuth clarified that she will “work with the federal administration to the best of my ability,” but if she disagrees with the administration, “you’re going to hear that.”
“President Trump and I are different people,” Demuth said Thursday.