Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO who strongly supported President Donald Trump’s false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, filed paperwork Wednesday for a possible run for governor in his home state of Minnesota. With nearly 10 other candidates declared for the Republican primary, Lindell would be entering a crowded field.
Although aides filed paperwork with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board, Lindell said he has yet to make a final decision on running. Lindell said he would announce more information about his campaign on Dec. 11.
“I’m 98 percent sure I’m going to,” Lindell told Minnesota Public Radio.
Even though he hasn’t officially entered the race, the Democratic Governors Association used the news to criticize – and make fun of – Lindell.
“His entrance into the race is a bitter pill-ow for Minnesota Republicans to swallow,” spokesperson Izzi Levy wrote in a statement. “Minnesotans can rest easy that we’re going to put to bed any dreams Lindell has of bringing his extreme agenda to the governor’s office.”
If he runs, Lindell would ultimately hope to unseat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a frequent target of Trump’s derision. Trump recently described Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024, as “seriously r——.”
Who is Mike Lindell?
Lindell is the owner and founder of MyPillow, located in Chaska, Minnesota. Since its founding, the company has sold more than 41 million pillows, mostly through infomercials.
In 2016, Lindell met then-candidate Trump and became an avid supporter. After Trump’s win, Lindell attended the inauguration and was involved in Trump’s meetings with prominent business leaders.
Following Trump’s 2020 loss in the 2020 presidential election, Lindell began circulating conspiracy theories about voting machine companies Smartmatic and Dominion. He claimed the companies rigged the machines to steal the election from Trump. No evidence has ever emerged to prove Lindell’s claims.
Lindell has faced defamation lawsuits from both Smartmatic and Dominion. In June, a jury ordered Lindell to pay $2.3 million in damages to a Dominion employee he had referred to as a traitor. In the Smartmatic case, a judge found Lindell had defamed the voting machine company and ordered him to pay an unspecified amount in damages and court costs. Lindell said he plans to appeal both rulings and will continue to speak out about election security.
Lindell has said that his company has lost $100 million in revenue over his continued promotion of election conspiracy theories.
“Now let me tell you the facts about MyPillow,” Lindell told WCCO-TV of Minneapolis. “When I tried to get this out to the people, MyPillow lost $100 million in retailers. We are not up 30-40% – we are down. We are down. I had to borrow money.”
Could Lindell win the primary?
Prominent Minnesota Republicans, such as state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, have already announced their candidacies. While Demuth has political experience, Lindell’s name recognition and ties to Trump could give him an advantage.
Demuth said she would seek Trump’s endorsement and that her campaign would focus on state issues, such as boosting educational outcomes and reducing wasteful spending.
Besides Demuth, Lindell would also face off against Scott Jensen, a doctor and former state senator. His views on vaccines and medicine could attract supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement, Axios reports.
Businessman Kendall Qualls has also announced his candidacy.
Could Republicans defeat Walz?
Republicans in Minnesota haven’t won a statewide election since 2006, and whoever wins the primary would have an uphill race against Walz. However, Walz is not a popular governor.
He is tied with Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, for the fourth-least-popular governor in the country. Still, the Cook Political Report put the race as “Likely D.”
But Lindell could be described as a “wild card” candidate, and his national popularity and Trump’s recent attacks on Walz and focus on Somali migrants in Minnesota could help move the needle in the GOP’s favor.
“We are doing our due diligence, and so far things are looking very good,” Lindell said earlier this year. “I will certainly be adding securing our elections to my platform.”
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