Although Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) became the first Republican woman of color to lead the Minnesota House, she said her priorities remain on the work ahead and not this historic accomplishment.
Demuth was sworn into House leadership on Feb. 6 by Senate President Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-Minneapolis). Formerly the minority leader of the House in the 2023-24 legislative session, Demuth was elected House speaker in early February after a power-sharing agreement was finalized between House Democrats and Republicans.
Demuth said the opportunity to lead the House is an honor, and she is willing to work hard to reach across the aisle with Democrats. She said Minnesotans expect legislators to get work done after the nearly month-long delay to the start of the session.
“The voters asked for a change,” Demuth said. “The opportunity to lead is an honor. I look at that as just the ability to serve both my community, my constituents, but then also the state at a greater level. I look forward to the responsibility and the honor of getting to do this.”
Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) said he remembers his friendship with Demuth forming after carpooling with her when he needed a ride to St. Cloud. He said Demuth was new to the House at the time, and meeting her this way fostered a good bond between them.
“She’s got a surprising amount of just willpower and energy and smarts that I can see why she was propelled up to that speakership position,” Johnson said.
Demuth’s political career started in 2007 when she won her local school board race in Cold Spring and served until 2018. She became a member of the state House of Representatives in 2019.
“During that time I really recognized the importance of serving my community at that level,” Demuth said. “Hearing and making sure that decisions were being made in the best interest of students and of staff and administration and then also the taxpayers and the businesses in the communities.”
University Political Science Associate Professor Kathryn Pearson said though Demuth does not intend to lead with the historical implications of her leadership at the front of her mind, it is important to recognize that Demuth is the first Republican woman and person of color to lead as Speaker of the House.
“She sort of leads as the leader of the Republican party, but I think noting the historical significance is important even as you know she does not herself lead with that,” Pearson said.
Demuth said growing up in rural Paynesville and moving to the metro suburbs at seven years old gave her a unique perspective of the wants and needs of Minnesotans. She said it is necessary to not consider one part of the state more important than others but to see what each place has in common.
“It’s given me the perspective of the uniqueness between the metro area and greater Minnesota, and that there are definitely some things that we all have in common — solid schools, access to healthcare and to businesses, but yet there’s very uniqueness depending on the area and region of the state that we’re in,” Demuth said.
Pearson said Demuth is a very flexible leader and will likely fight for what is best for the collective majority when it serves everyone. Pearson added Demuth’s term as House minority leader likely set her in a good direction to become House Speaker.
“It was a smart choice for Republicans again, sort of out of the blue, a couple years ago to make her minority leader and now to have her as their leader as well,” Pearson said.
While the House started the legislative session in an intensely partisan way, Demuth said the House has to move on and work in a bipartisan fashion to bring a budget and affordable legislation forward.
“There’s a lot of work that has to be done in a bipartisan fashion because we’re going to have to come together to pass bills,” Demuth said. “But it has to be affordable and there can’t be the waste of taxpayer dollars specifically in the area of fraud as we’ve seen just an unbelievable amount of fraud in the state of Minnesota.”
Pearson said that although Demuth is known as a partisan Republican who fights for her party’s priorities, she has always been collaborative when needed.
“Demuth is, on the one hand, a partisan Republican. On the other hand, [she] has shown herself to be someone who can work in a collaborative fashion,” Pearson said. “We’re likely to see both sides of her as speaker.”
Demuth said the next step now is focusing on finding a way to rein in spending and focus on Minnesotans’ needs in a bipartisan way. Especially considering this is the first time in six years that the House is controlled by Republicans, and in March it will likely be the second time since 1979 that the House is tied 67-67, Demuth added.
“It’s important to recognize that coming out of a full Democrat trifecta or one party control is that the majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives have never served in the minority and for the majority of House Republicans have never served in the majority,” Demuth said.
