A GOP power player and lobbyist is a key adviser to House Speaker Lisa Demuth

House Speaker Lisa Demuth has had several defining moments in her campaign for governor thus far. She lost the Minnesota Republican Party’s convention endorsement in May after 10 ballots, though her team successfully raised doubts about the tabulation process to dampen the endorsement of Kendall Qualls.

Later, after missing out on what had been considered a must-have endorsement of President Donald Trump, she went on to win the Republican primary for governor.

On the convention floor and on primary night as the returns came in, Demuth had at her side a GOP operative and lobbyist who is well known at the Minnesota Capitol, but less so to the general public: Ben Golnik.

Golnik is an advisor to Demuth’s campaign, armed with a vast network of GOP politicos, donors, delegates and operatives. He’s doing all of this work without receiving a paycheck from Demuth’s campaign, according to campaign finance reports.

But Golnik very much gets paid in his day job as a registered lobbyist who represents Big Pharma, the tobacco industry, a horse racing track and other clients.

Golnik didn’t respond to interview requests, but he told the Reformer in a text message that he volunteers for Demuth’s campaign like he has for campaigns in the past.

“I first met Speaker Demuth when she ran for the House in 2018. Speaker Demuth is a friend and I’m a volunteer on her campaign for governor,” Golnik said. “I’ve volunteered for dozens of campaigns over the years and enjoy being helpful.”

Golnik is hardly alone. Many lobbyists raise money, drum up research, consult on ad copy and even knock on doors for candidates, which allows them to take the temperature of the electorate and maybe even get face time with the candidate. Democratic-Farmer-Labor lobbyists like Brian Rice and Larry Redmond are known to get deep in the weeds of campaigns.

(U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the DFL nominee for governor, was once a registered lobbyist during her days in private law practice.)

Norman Ornstein, an emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said many lobbyists volunteer and raise money for campaigns, but said a decision-making role for a lobbyist would be unusual.

The problem with the arrangement is whether Golnik’s free and apparently important work with the Demuth campaign would create an obligation to him or his clients if Demuth is successful in November.

“There is nothing illegal about this that I can point to, but a lobbyist for Big Tobacco and Big Pharma? Not a great look,” Ornstein said in an email.

Demuth at a Capitol press conference Thursday said her campaign has a number of volunteers and staff to help get their message out. Asked about Golnik’s responsibilities, Demuth declined to provide any details.

“We have volunteers that are on our campaign,” Demuth said.

Golnik is hardly the same as the legions of Minnesotans stuffing envelopes, however. He comes with a long resume of GOP political work and would be a candidate to be Demuth’s chief of staff, or some other key role, formal or not. 

As executive director for the Minnesota House Republican caucus, Golnik was former House Speaker Kurt Daudt’s right-hand man when the Crown lawmaker was among the state’s most prominent Republicans between 2014-2019 and was frequently discussed as a potential candidate for governor.

Daudt praised Golnik in a statement, noting that any candidate would be happy to have his assistance and that people in politics “wear different hats in campaigning, in public service, in advocacy and strategic advice-giving.”

“There are dozens of DFLers and Republicans who play such multiple roles. It is normal and legitimate for anyone involved in public life and cares about our communities to do so,” Daudt said.

Golnik founded the Minnesota Jobs Coalition after the Republicans’ 2012 debacle, which gave Democrats their first trifecta in recent memory.

Under Golnik’s leadership, the Jobs Coalition — which is still hammering Democrats today —  went on to help Republicans take the House majority in 2014 and then expand it in 2016.

When House Republicans lost the majority in a 2018 landslide, Golnik left the Legislature to take up lobbying.

His most prominent client is the Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, which manufactures weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. He also represents PMI U.S. Corporate Services — a subsidiary of the tobacco company Philip Morris — and the North Metro Harness Initiative, which does business as Running Aces.

Running Aces, which operates a casino, racetrack and restaurant in Columbus, Minnesota, donated $500,000 in June to the Restore Sanity political action committee, a super PAC supporting Demuth’s campaign for governor.

Running Aces President Taro Ito didn’t respond to the Reformer’s request for comment.

Golnik is friends with Tommy Merickel, an influential, behind-the-scenes business executive and fundraiser who succeeded Golnik at the Jobs Coalition. Merickel — who has worked closely with billionaire Glen Taylor for decades — is fundraising for the Restore Sanity PAC this election cycle.

The super PAC in recent weeks received a $10 million cash infusion, cutting into Klobuchar’s longtime financial advantage in the race.

According to a 2017 Star Tribune profile, Golnik is driven less by ideology than a competitive desire to win.

“When I’m playing chess with my kid, I don’t like to lose,” Golnik told the Star Tribune.