Demuth, Klobuchar Seek Firings Over State Fraud

On Sept. 14, 2026, Republican gubernatorial nominee Lisa Demuth called for the immediate firing of Assistant Education Commissioner Daron Korte and Department of Children, Youth and Families Deputy Commissioner Leah Montgomery. She spoke at a Minnesota State Capitol news conference with running mate Ryan Wilson one day after a Minnesota Star Tribune investigation, drawn from more than 1,000 pages of congressional testimony, detailed Walz administration fraud oversight. Demuth said Korte knew of Feeding Our Future irregularities as early as 2020 yet the nonprofit kept receiving public money, and that Montgomery should be ousted for calling fraud a Republican talking point with DFL legislators. She said fraud exploded across eight Walz years and that the governor has not fired a single person. Democratic opponent Amy Klobuchar responded in a written statement that Minnesotans are right to be angry, pledging a Day One top-to-bottom audit, upgraded technology, stronger criminal penalties, and firings of officials who failed to stop fraud. Former U.S. Attorney Andy Luger, who prosecuted Feeding Our Future, endorsed her plan. A Walz spokesperson said the governor installed new leadership at Human Services and Education and that Demuth helped kill a statewide inspector general bill behind closed doors in 2025. Both candidates’ plans call for stronger provider screening, more unannounced inspections, and closer billing-data analysis; Demuth would replace all commissioners and put the lieutenant governor in charge of fraud response.