Lisa Demuth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lisa Demuth
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Demuth in 2025
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| 62nd Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office February 6, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Melissa Hortman |
| Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – January 14, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Kurt Daudt |
| Succeeded by | Melissa Hortman |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 13A district |
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| Assumed office January 8, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Jeff Howe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 10, 1967 Paynesville, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Nick |
| Children | 4 |
Lisa Demuth (born February 10, 1967) is an American politician. Since February 2025, she has been the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. The Speaker is a very important leader in the state government.
Demuth is a member of the Republican Party of Minnesota. She represents District 13A in central Minnesota. This area includes cities like St. Joseph and Cold Spring. Before becoming Speaker, she was the leader of the House Republican group. From 2023 to 2025, she served as the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives.
In January 2025, House Republicans chose Demuth to be the Speaker. However, other politicians disagreed with this choice. The Minnesota Supreme Court later decided that the vote was not valid. This was because not enough members were present for a proper meeting, which is called a quorum. On February 5, 2025, both political groups agreed to make Demuth Speaker. She was officially elected on February 6, becoming the first Black person to hold this important position in Minnesota.
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Early Life and Career
Lisa Demuth was born in Paynesville, Minnesota. She finished high school at Bloomington Kennedy High School.
She owns and manages business properties with her husband, Nick. In 2007, she was elected to the Rocori school board. She was chosen as a write-in candidate, which means people wrote her name on the ballot even though she wasn't officially listed. She was reelected to the school board two more times.
Serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives
Demuth was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018. This happened after the previous representative for her area, Jeff Howe, decided to run for a different role.
From 2021 to 2022, Demuth served as an assistant minority leader in the House. After the 2022 election, when Republicans did not gain control of the House, the Republican group chose Demuth as their minority leader. She is known for being more willing to work with others and calmer than the previous leader, Kurt Daudt.
Lisa Demuth is the first African American person and the first biracial person to be the minority leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives. She has said that she wanted her fellow politicians to choose her based on her skills and experience, not her race.
The 2025 Speaker Discussion
In the first meeting of the 94th Minnesota Legislature on January 14, 2025, only the 67 elected House Republicans were there. The 66 elected members from the other party were not present. They did this to stop a quorum from happening. A quorum is the minimum number of members needed for a meeting to be official.
The Secretary of State, Steve Simon, was in charge of the meeting. He left, saying there was no quorum. However, the Republican members went ahead and elected Demuth as Speaker of the House. They continued to do legislative work for two weeks with Demuth leading.
On January 24, the Minnesota Supreme Court decided that because there was no quorum, Demuth's election and all actions that followed were not valid. On February 5, 2025, the two political groups reached an agreement. This agreement ended the boycott and included making Demuth the Speaker.
Personal Life
Lisa Demuth and her husband, Nick, live in Cold Spring, Minnesota. They have four children.
