Here is a look at the lieutenant governor candidates running alongside the leaders in the Minnesota gubernatorial race during the primary election that ends on Aug. 11.

Mike Lindell tapped Phillip Parrish as his running mate in June. Parrish was running his own campaign for governor before joining Lindell.

Parrish, a retired Naval intelligence officer, also ran for secretary of state in 2021 and governor in 2018. He was born in Blue Earth and now lives in Kenyon and works as a school administrator.

When Lindell filed for office and announced Parrish as his pick, he said: “The two best gubernatorial candidates are joining forces.” The ticket received an endorsement from Trump on July 15 but came in third for the GOP’s endorsement in May.

Demuth picked Wilson in November 2025. Wilson resides in Maple Grove with his wife and four children. He’s a former small business owner of Symbios Clinical, a medical device company. He’s a counsel attorney at the firm CrossCastle, where House GOP Leader Harry Niska is a partner.

He ran for state auditor in 2022 narrowly and lost to Julie Blaha. He represented the Minnesota House Republican Caucus in 2025 in a case that went before the Minnesota Supreme Court over whether 67 or 68 members constituted a quorum.

Demuth touted Wilson’s 2022 run when she picked him, saying he sounded the alarm on fraud, and that he “ran one of the most successful Republican campaigns for statewide office in years.” Demuth and Wilson lost the GOP endorsement, and have not received an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Political outsider Brian Nicholson is a lifelong Minnesotan and lives in the West Metro with his wife and three daughters.

Qualls touted “two business leaders” joining when he announced his pick in March. Nicholson’s business ventures are “many and varied,” according to the campaign. He most recently served as CEO of Advanced Volumetric Alliance, according to the Minnesota Reformer.

The Star Tribune published a report that found Nicholson was on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, though he said he left when things turned violent. His former employer also filed a suit in 2026 against Nicholson and one of his colleagues, citing “improper personal use of company funds.”

Qualls and Nicholson won the GOP endorsement in May but have not received an endorsement from Trump.

Schierer, who Klobuchar picked in late May, is the former mayor of Fergus Falls. He grew up in Fergus Falls and lives there with his wife and five children.

He was elected to the city council in 2004, mayor in 2016, and reelected in 2020. He’s the former owner of Union Pizza & Brewing Company and TÖAST in downtown Fergus Falls. Klobuchar has touted his experience with small business and Greater Minnesota.

The duo is the favorite in the DFL primary to advance to November, and received the DFL endorsement in May despite a challenge from the left.