Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Marie Demuth said on May 4 that Minnesotans “know Klobuchar’s record and see this for what it is – a Walz Third Term.” The remarks were made in response to Senator Amy Klobuchar’s first press conference as a gubernatorial candidate, which took place more than three months after she launched her campaign.
The comments come as the race for Minnesota governor intensifies, with debates focusing on executive branch continuity, fiscal management, and state accountability. Demuth released the statement on her official X account in direct response to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s first gubernatorial campaign press conference held on May 3, as reported in the post from the Minnesota House Speaker and Republican candidate for governor. The event marked the first such appearance by Klobuchar more than three months after she launched her bid for the state’s top office.
“Plain and simple four terms of Democrat control of the executive branch have doubled our state budget, raised taxes by billions and enabled a culture of fraud that has stolen billions more. Amy Klobuchar wants to triple down on the Walz Era. I’m running for governor to fix the mess Tim Walz has left in his wake, and return our state to common sense that’s been missing for far too long,” Demuth said according to her official X account.
Minnesota’s biennial state budget expanded significantly under sustained Democratic control of the executive branch. The most recent two-year spending plan reached $72 billion, the largest in state history, following years of steady growth in general fund expenditures and overall appropriations, according to KTTC News. Recent legislative sessions under Democratic majorities produced net tax increases totaling billions of dollars even as the state managed large surpluses. These changes included adjustments to income, corporate and capital gains taxation that contributed to higher overall revenue collections, according to Tax Foundation.
Federal investigations have identified extensive fraud in Minnesota-administered programs including nutrition assistance, Medicaid and childcare services. Prosecutors estimate losses reaching billions of dollars across multiple schemes dating back several years, according to CBS News.
Demuth was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2018 to represent District 13A. She became Speaker of the House in February 2025 and is the Republican nominee for governor, according to her official profile.
