Kendall Qualls

Kendall Qualls

Republican Party

Candidate, Governor of Minnesota

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Cameron University

Graduate

University of Oklahoma

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Personal

Birthplace

New York, N.Y.

Religion

Christian

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Kendall Qualls (Republican Party) is running for election for Governor of Minnesota. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Elections

2026

See also: Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Governor of Minnesota

The following candidates are running in the general election for Governor of Minnesota on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Tim Walz (D)
		Thomas Evenstad (R)
		Scott Jensen (R)
	Submit photo	Jeff Johnson (R)
		Brad Kohler (R)
	Submit photo	Phillip Parrish (R)
		Kendall Qualls (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2022

See also: Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of Minnesota

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Minnesota on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Walz (D)	52.3	1,312,349
		Scott Jensen (R)	44.6	1,119,941
	Submit photo	James McCaskel (Legal Marijuana Now Party)	1.2	29,346
		Steve Patterson (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota)	0.9	22,599
		Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota)	0.7	18,156
	Submit photo	Gabrielle Prosser (Socialist Workers Party)	0.3	7,241
		Joyce Lacey (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	11
	Submit photo	Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	5
		Loner Blue (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	4
	Submit photo	Joshua Olgbolahan Jubril (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1,009

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,510,661
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Cory Hepola (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota

Incumbent Tim Walz defeated Ole Savior in the Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Walz	96.5	416,973
		Ole Savior	3.5	14,950

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 431,923
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brandon Millholland-Corcoran (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota

Scott Jensen defeated Joyce Lacey and Bob Carney Jr. in the Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott Jensen	89.3	288,499
		Joyce Lacey	6.6	21,308
		Bob Carney Jr.	4.1	13,213

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 323,020
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Mike Murphy (R)
• Neil Shah (R)
• Michelle Benson (R)
• Paul Gazelka (R)
• Mike Marti (R)
• Kendall Qualls (R)
• Richard Stanek (R)
• Scott Magie (R)

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for Governor of Minnesota

Steve Patterson defeated Darrell Paulsen in the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Patterson	59.1	1,003
	Submit photo	Darrell Paulsen	40.9	693

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,696
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Legal Marijuana Now Party primary election

Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for Governor of Minnesota

James McCaskel defeated Chris Wright in the Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	James McCaskel	51.9	1,461
		Chris Wright	48.1	1,356

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,817
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020

Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Democratic primary)

Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 3

Incumbent Dean Phillips defeated Kendall Qualls in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 3 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dean Phillips (D)	55.6	246,666
		Kendall Qualls (R)	44.3	196,625
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	312

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 443,603
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gary Heyer (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3

Incumbent Dean Phillips defeated Cole Young in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3 on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dean Phillips	90.7	73,011
		Cole Young	9.3	7,443

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 80,454
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3

Kendall Qualls defeated Leslie Davis in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3 on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kendall Qualls	75.9	25,405
		Leslie Davis	24.1	8,060

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,465
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

For a complete list of Qualls' endorsements, please click here.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kendall Qualls has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Kendall Qualls asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Kendall Qualls, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 22,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

You can ask Kendall Qualls to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@kqformn.com.

2022

Kendall Qualls did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released October 24, 2019

Kendall Qualls completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Qualls' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Over the course of my life, I've been called many things-ghetto kid, trailer trash, veteran, businessman, husband, father-but I never dreamed I'd be called candidate for U.S. Congress.

I grew up in Harlem, NY and later, in Oklahoma, where my father was a Drill Sergeant in the US Army. I worked full time delivering pizzas while serving in the Army Reserves to pay for college, and finished in four years. After college, I went on active duty as an officer in the Field Artillery, and also served in South Korea.

My wife Sheila and I met in high school, and I've been committed to her ever since. We've been married 34 years and have five children, and a Labrador Retriever named Largo.

For 27 years, I led sales and marketing teams in the healthcare industry with Fortune 100 companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Roche Labs and Medtronic. For the past 15 years, I've worked to transform stagnant or declining business units in the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries by introducing transformative strategies. I now work for a small health-care startup that helps cancer patients tackle their disease.

My faith has guided the important decisions in my life. I'm not perfect by any means, but my faith has been my "true north." It's one of the main reasons I'm so committed to my family.

My life hasn't always been easy, but it's been a blessing through the good times and the tough times. It has provided me with a foundation of commitment, compassion and courage, as well as the leadership skills I'll take to Congress to put to work for you.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I'm a leader with both military and corporate experience that is outside the world of politics.
• I know how to create a vision and move people toward a goal that is larger than each individual and that transcends racial, economic and gender differences.
• You deserve leaders who won't say one thing then throw those promises out the window when they get to Washington.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Health care

National Defense
Veterans Affairs
Taxes and Spending

Improving infrastructure

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

We need true and trusted leaders to take a stand. Elected leaders must operate with the highest ethical standards, and be willing to endure the mud-slinging and persona attacks to fight for what is right.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have lived the American dream coming from dire poverty to V.P. for a Fortune 100 company with responsibility of an $850M business unit.

I have served our country overseas.

I possess experience in leading teams of people with diverse backgrounds to achieve success.

What legacy would you like to leave?

There are three.

1. Introduce and pass legislation that improves the financial position of Minnesota families.
2. Introduce and pass real and affordable healthcare options for all Americans.

3. Improve Americans' respect for our government (over its current rate of 15%) as an institution that can get things done.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Iranians storming the U.S. Embassy and taking American hostages.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Domino's Pizza delivering pizzas. Senior in H.S. all through college (five-years).

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible, because the issues involving the world and its people then are still applicable and relevant in our lives today.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Lucas McCain, the Rifleman.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"You're Still the One" by Orleans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrPnBkjdaFM

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My addiction to chocolate. It's a life long struggle, but everyday I'm getting stronger.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The U.S. House of Representatives is the branch of the federal government closest to the people. As such, those who serve in it have a unique insight and platform from which they are able to work on the everyday concerns of their constituents. Secondly, in our republican form of government, members of the U.S. House of Representatives are entrusted with the responsibility of using their best judgment to make governing decisions on behalf of the people they serve. This is an incredible honor, but one that requires thoughtful and ethical leadership to be most effective.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, nor did Thomas Jefferson, who wrote; "All [reforms] can be... [achieved] peaceably by the people confining their choice of Representatives and Senators to persons attached to republican government and the principles of 1776; not office-hunters, but farmers whose interests are entirely agricultural. Such men are the true representatives of the great American interest and are alone to be relied on for expressing the proper American sentiments." --Thomas Jefferson to A. Campbell, 1797.

As farming was the chief occupation of his day, Jefferson was clearly expressing the sentiment that everyday Americans, not those with previous experience in government or politics, be the leaders of our nation.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

We are struggling to find a common thread that binds us together as a nation.

We have forgotten or perhaps never learned what makes our country, and us, as Americans, unique. It is important we recapture that understanding or we will continue to fracture as a people.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Kendall Qualls campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2020	U.S. House Minnesota District 3	Lost general	$1,889,619	$1,776,907
Grand total			$1,889,619	$1,776,907
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

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Footnotes

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