Mike Lindell, Trump ally and MyPillow founder, running for Minnesota governor | Minnesota
Pillow salesman and election conspirator Mike Lindell announced Thursday that he is running for governor of Minnesota.
Lindell, an ally of Donald Trump and a key player in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, joined a crowded Republican primary in the left-leaning state where pillow company MyPillow is headquartered.
Democratic governor Tim Walz is running for a third term after the party’s vice presidential candidate ended in defeat for Democrats. He has faced criticism for his handling of a wide-ranging fraud scandal exploiting the state’s social services system that is sure to be a feature of the 2026 governor’s race.
Lindell, 64, faced multiple defamation lawsuits over false election claims and was ordered to pay millions of dollars as a result. His financial situation is very bad, told the courtsBecause of what he calls “legalism”. He did not back down from his stance that the 2020 elections were stolen.
“I’m not just building a business, you’re looking at problem solving,” Lindell said. he told the Associated Press while explaining his campaign. “I managed to survive the biggest attack on a company and probably a person other than Donald Trump in the history of our media… legal and all.”
Lindell he told the Minnesota Star Tribune He says he advised the campaign of beleaguered former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who also lost a defamation lawsuit, and that he works for LindellTV because “he knows what he’s doing.”
Republicans haven’t won the governor’s race in Minnesota since 2006, but Walz’s third consecutive term would also be unprecedented. The state has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1976, though not always by large margins.
The Republican field includes state House speaker Lisa Demuth, 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen, state lawmaker Kristin Robbins and others. Because the field is crowded, Trump’s support could help a candidate stand out. Lindell told the Star Tribune that he told Trump he was considering running but wasn’t sure what the president would do.
