House Speaker Lisa Demuth named among USA Today's 2025 'Women of the Year'
Demuth, a Republican representing Cold Spring, became the first person of color to become Speaker of the House this year, having previously made history as the first African American and first biracial Minnesota House minority leader in 2023.
The publication has selected 61 women across the United States who are "breaking barriers, pushing for change, and making communities better." The program was first launched in 2022 as a continuation of Women of the Century, which commemorated the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.
In an interview with USA Today, Demuth spoke about her journey to politics that started in 2007, when she joined the ROCORI Public School District's Board of Education.
Demuth then launched her school board campaign and was elected to office as a write-in candidate. She served on the board through 2018 before she made the transition to the Minnesota Legislature.
"When [I was] looking at running for a bigger office, or running as a state representative, the footprint is bigger as far as the area that we serve," Demuth told the publication. "I have multiple school districts and multiple constituents."
Demuth, who lives in Cold Spring, is also a breast cancer survivor.
According to USA Today, the Republican credits her mother for instilling in her values of hard work, independence and integrity, which she considers crucial for leadership.
This past November, she was re-elected with 75.4% of the vote.
She will be Minnesota's House Speaker at least through 2026 after the DFL and GOP reached a power-sharing agreement after the 2024 elections resulted in a 67-67 split.
What followed was controversy when a judge ruled a winning DFL candidate was ineligible for his district, sparking a special election and a power struggle as the Minnesota GOP sought to take advantage of its temporary one-seat majority.
The GOP initially refused to seat Rep. Brad Tabke after it emerged 20 votes had been mistakenly thrown out in the Shakopee district, with the DFL boycotting the House in response, denying the GOP a quorum. The struggle ended when a deal was reached towards the beginning of February.
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