Lisa Demuth (born February 10, 1967) is an American politician serving in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

since 2019. A member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civi ...

, Demuth represents District 13A in central

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, which includes the cities of

St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...

and Cold Spring, and parts of

Stearns County Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292. Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud. The county was founded in 1855. It was originally named for Isaac Ingalls Stevens, the ...

. She has served as leader of the House Republican caucus and minority leader of the House of Representatives since 2023.

Early life, education, and career

Demuth was born in

Paynesville, Minnesota Paynesville is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States, on Lake Koronis, in the central part of the state. The population was 2,388 at the 2020 census. It is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Paynesville w ...

. She graduated from

Bloomington Kennedy High School John F. Kennedy High School is one of two public high schools located in Bloomington, Minnesota, USA. Named after former president John F. Kennedy, it was opened in 1965 due to the rapid growth of Bloomington at the time. Athletics The school ...

. Demuth co-owns and manages commercial property with her husband, Nick. She was elected to the Rocori school board as a

write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

in 2007 and reelected twice.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Demuth was first elected to the

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. Demuth was recruited to run by the former representative for 13A, Jeff Howe, who was stepping down to run for the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

. During the 2020-2021 legislative session, Demuth served as an assistant minority leader in the House. Demuth is pro-life and supported fetal heartbeat legislation in the Minnesota House. After the

2022 Minnesota House of Representatives Election The 2022 Minnesota House of Representatives election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 8, 2022, to elect members to the Minnesota House of Representatives, House of Representatives of the 93rd Minnesota Legislature. A primary ...

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 then her predecessor,

Kurt Daudt Kurt Louis Daudt (born September 26, 1973) is an American politician and the Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He is a former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minneso ...

. According to the

American Conservative Union The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...

's scorecard, Demuth was ranked as less conservative than the average Republican legislator. 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. According to Demuth, she asked fellow legislators to pick her based on her qualifications, not her race.

Electoral History

Personal life

Demuth and her husband, Nick, reside in

Cold Spring, Minnesota Cold Spring is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States, at the gateway of the Sauk River Chain of Lakes, an interconnected system of 14 bay-like lakes fed and connected by the Sauk River. Cold Spring is part of the St. Cloud Metropol ...

. They have four children.

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demuth, Lisa 1967 births Living people Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Minnesota African-American state legislators in Minnesota