Lisa Demuth (/ˈdeɪməθ/ DAY-məth;[1] born February 10, 1967)[2] is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Demuth represents District 13A in central Minnesota, which includes the cities of St. Joseph and Cold Spring, and parts of Stearns County. She has served as leader of the House Republican caucus and minority leader of the House of Representatives since 2023.[2]
Lisa Demuth | |
|---|---|
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| Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Kurt Daudt |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 13A district | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jeff Howe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 10, 1967 Paynesville, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Nick |
| Children | 4 |
Early life, education, and career
editDemuth was born in Paynesville, Minnesota. She graduated from Bloomington Kennedy High School.[3]
Demuth co-owns and manages commercial property with her husband, Nick. She was elected to the Rocori school board as a write-in candidate in 2007 and reelected twice.[3][4]
Minnesota House of Representatives
editDemuth was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018. Demuth was recruited to run by the former representative for 13A, Jeff Howe, who was stepping down to run for the Minnesota Senate.[5] During the 2021-2022 legislative session, Demuth served as an assistant minority leader in the House.[2] Demuth opposes abortion and supported fetal heartbeat legislation in the Minnesota House.[6]
After the 2022 Minnesota House of Representatives Election saw Republicans fail to flip the House from Democratic control, Demuth was voted to serve as Minority Leader by her caucus. Demuth has portrayed herself as more collaborative and calm than her predecessor, Kurt Daudt. According to the American Conservative Union's scorecard, Demuth was ranked as less conservative than the average Republican legislator.[6]
Demuth, who is biracial, is the first African American and the first biracial person to serve as Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the House Republican caucus.[2] According to Demuth, she asked fellow legislators to pick her based on her qualifications, not her race.[7]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lisa Demuth | 11,348 | 61.01% | ||
| Democratic (DFL) | Jim Read | 7,243 | 38.94% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lisa Demuth | 16,056 | 70.75% | ||
| Democratic (DFL) | Katy Westlund | 6,610 | 29.13% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lisa Demuth | 15,190 | 74.01% | ||
| Democratic (DFL) | Andrea Robinson | 5,324 | 25.94% | ||
Personal life
editDemuth and her husband, Nick, reside in Cold Spring, Minnesota. They have four children.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Name Pronunciation Guide for House Members 2023". Minnesota Legislature. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Demuth, Lisa". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ a b Knaak, Mike (October 19, 2018). "House 13A candidates focus on health care, jobs - The News Leaders". The Newsleaders. Von Meyer Publishing. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Hertel, Nora G. (June 6, 2018). "Rocori school board member Lisa Demuth vies for Rep. Jeff Howe's legislative seat". St. Cloud Times. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Session Interview (Video) 2019 House Interview. "Video - Minnesota Legislature". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "New House Republican leader Lisa Demuth vows 'calm and conversational' style". MinnPost. 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ Olson, Rochelle. "Lisa Demuth is first woman, person of color to lead Minnesota House GOP caucus". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ Minnesota Secretary of State. "2018 Results for State Representative District 13A". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Minnesota Secretary of State. "2020 Results for State Representative District 13A". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Minnesota Secretary of State. "2022 Results for State Representative District 13A". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved 15 January 2023.