MyPillow founder Mike Lindell lost to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth in the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary, according to Forbes, but refused to immediately concede the race. The Associated Press called the race for Demuth at 11:26 p.m. ET after she secured 43.6% of the 93% of the votes counted, according to ca.news.yahoo.com.
Mike Lindell Refuses to Concede Minnesota GOP Primary
Lindell, a prominent promoter of President Donald Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims, came in a distant second with 32.3% of the votes, while former healthcare executive Kendall Qualls placed third with 21.4% of the vote. Speaking on his live network, LindellTV, when asked if he would concede if the AP called the race, Lindell stated, Why would I listen to the AP?
There’s 265,000 votes left to count. I’m down by 18,000 now,
he continued, adding, I’m not going to give up this race until the votes are counted. That’s nonsense.
Lindell later told reporters his team needed a day
to review the results, claiming without evidence that they had seen a couple of anomalies.
Presidential Backing and Primary Contestant Standings
Lindell received a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump, who wrote on Truth Social that Lindell deserves a BIG WIN IN MINNESOTA today,
adding, Nobody has worked harder, and given up so much, in fighting for free and fair Elections.
Trump’s backing of Lindell adds the MyPillow founder to a small but growing list of GOP candidates who have failed to win their primaries despite presidential support.
Demuth called her victory a major milestone
in a statement shared on social media, noting that her campaign was not done yet.
Tonight, Minnesotans made it clear they are ready for real change — at the top,
Demuth wrote, according to The Hill. It’s time to end the fraud, restore common sense to our state government and return Minnesota to a place that works for families, seniors, businesses and our next generation.
Campaign Controversies and General Election Outlook
During the primary campaign, Lindell faced multiple controversies. The Minnesota Republican Party questioned whether Lindell had lived in the state long enough to meet gubernatorial qualifications. Lindell stated he lived in Texas as recently as the previous year, but moved back to Minnesota prior to the one-year deadline before the November 3 general election. Additionally, a judge found probable cause that Lindell may have violated campaign laws by distributing pillows in packaging labeled Mike Lindell for Governor
during a July Fourth parade. Lindell, who stepped down as CEO of MyPillow to focus on his campaign, also settled a $1 billion defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems last month after the company sued him over false claims regarding the 2020 presidential election.
In the Democratic primary, Sen. Amy Klobuchar won with 89.6% of the votes. Following the primary, Demuth will face Klobuchar in the fall general election to succeed retiring Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
