Minnesota Republicans endorsed Kendall Qualls for governor Saturday night after a 10-ballot convention fight in Duluth that drew public questions from delegates, candidates, and Republican lawmakers over electronic voting problems.
Qualls secured the endorsement just after 9 p.m. Saturday over Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-District 13A) after an hourslong delay tied to electronic voting issues, KSTP reported.
The Republican Party of Minnesota later congratulated Qualls on earning the endorsement, with party Chairman Alex Plechash saying the party was ready to “unite, organize, and win in November.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Minnesota Republicans gathered in Duluth on May 29 and May 30 to endorse a gubernatorial candidate as fraud in taxpayer-funded programs continued shaping the state’s 2026 race.
Electronic Voting Problems Halt Balloting
Voting in the governor’s endorsement contest began around 12:45 p.m. Saturday and proceeded through multiple rounds before the process stalled on the sixth ballot.
KSTP chief political reporter Tom Hauser reported from Duluth that the convention had moved into “near meltdown mode” over the electronic voting system.
“The total number of voters dropped by several hundred between ballots #4 and #5. Demuth went from the lead to slightly behind Qualls. No results from #6 in more than 2 hours,” Hauser wrote on X.
A video reviewed by The Dallas Express appeared to show a convention voting device displaying “Received” after more than one vote submission. The video does not establish whether the system counted multiple votes, replaced an earlier vote, or rejected one submission during tabulation.
The video shows why delegates questioned whether they could independently confirm which vote the system ultimately recorded.
Convention Chair Danny Nadeau told delegates that an anomaly affected the number of votes received by the electronic voting system on ballots five and six, but said the issue did not affect the re-vote on ballot six, Alpha News reported.
At 6:49 p.m., the convention announced a voting strength of 2,097, which Alpha News described as the maximum number of people who could vote on an endorsement ballot.
Delegates Question Trust In Process
Demuth questioned the process before the convention resumed voting.
“Election integrity matters,” Demuth said, according to Alpha News.
She also said “there is no confidence in what is happening” and backed using paper ballots, Alpha News reported.
The convention considered switching to paper ballots, but the move failed, according to Alpha News. Voting continued electronically, and Qualls reached the 60% threshold on the 10th ballot, according to KSTP and WDIO.
The problems drew sharp criticism from state Rep. Walter Hudson (R-District 30A), who wrote on X that he had raised concerns from the floor about device function the day before.
“Today’s fiasco calls the entire process into question,” Hudson wrote. “I’ve been a delegate to every convention since 2010, and have never seen a cluster like this.”
Hudson later called for “the universal rejection of this weekend’s endorsements” and said, “Every candidate who is willing and able should run to the primary.”
Rick Weible, campaign manager for Mike Lindell’s gubernatorial campaign, also criticized the convention clickers.
Weible wrote on X that the “MN GOP clickers failed” and that “the damage is done and trust lost.”
Qualls Moves Toward Primary
The Minnesota GOP’s endorsement gives Qualls party support, but it does not end the Republican race for governor if other candidates continue to the August primary.
Minnesota’s primary election will take place August 11, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office. The general election will take place November 3.
The convention controversy comes as election integrity, taxpayer-funded fraud, and government accountability have already shaped Minnesota’s governor’s race.
