Trump-Backed Mike Lindell Loses Minnesota GOP Gubernatorial Primary

MyPillow founder Mike Lindell lost to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth in Tuesday’s GOP Gubernatorial primary for the state, while Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar comfortably secured her party’s nomination in a state where the Democrats are heavily favored to win in November’s general election.

Lindell has faced several controversies during the campaign. The Minnesota Republican Party questioned whether Lindell has lived in the state long enough to meet the qualifications for governor. Lindell said he lived in Texas as recently as last year, but moved back to Minnesota before the one-year deadline prior to the Nov. 3 general election to qualify as a candidate. A judge also found probable cause last week that Lindell may have violated campaign laws by giving out pillows in packaging that said “Mike Lindell for Governor” during a July Fourth parade. Lindell, who stepped down as CEO of MyPillow, settled a $1 billion defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems last month after the company sued him for spreading false claims the company rigged the 2020 presidential election.

Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election, announced in January he would not seek a third term following revelations of a massive welfare and social services fraud scheme. Walz said he was dropping out of the race to focus on his work as governor and deal with the fallout of the fraud scheme. Federal prosecutors have estimated the amount stolen could top $9 billion, a figure Walz has disputed, but has acknowledged could stretch into the billions. Trump and his allies have used the scheme to target Walz’s Democratic administration and the state’s Somali community, as some of the defendants are of Somali descent. The case involves multiple programs that receive public funding across child services, education, daycares and food security.