On Thursday, Mike Lindell, a vocal backer of President Donald Trump recognized by television audiences as the “MyPillow Guy,”, officially declared his candidacy for Minnesota governor, aiming to secure the Republican nomination to contend against the Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
TL;DR
- Mike Lindell, the "MyPillow Guy," announced his candidacy for Minnesota governor.
- Lindell aims to secure the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Gov. Tim Walz.
- He cited his business experience and problem-solving skills as qualifications for the role.
- Lindell has faced legal and financial challenges due to his claims about the 2020 election.
“I’ll leave no town unturned in Minnesota,” Lindell told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of a news conference set for Thursday.
He stated his track record includes resolving issues and personal background that will aid enterprises and combat substance abuse, homelessness, and fraud within governmental initiatives. The fraud issue has notably troubled Walz, who announced in September his intention to pursue a third term in the 2026 election.
A TV pitchman and election denier
Lindell, aged 64, established his bedding business in Minnesota during 2009 and emerged as its prominent spokesperson via television advertisements that were widely broadcast during late-night programming. However, he and his enterprise encountered a series of legal and fiscal challenges after he emerged as a primary proponent of Trump’s false claims alleging that the 2020 presidential contest was fraudulent. He has stated that he has successfully navigated these difficulties.
“Not only have I built businesses, you look at problem solution,” Lindell said in his trademark rapid-fire style. “I was able to make it through the biggest attack on a company, and a person, probably other than Donald Trump, in the history of our media … lawfare and everything.”
While no Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, the state’s voters have a history of making unconventional choices. They shocked the world by electing former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura as governor in 1998. And they picked a veteran TV pitchman in 1978 when they elected home improvement company owner Rudy Boschwitz as a U.S. Senator.
Lindell has often recounted his triumph over a crack cocaine dependency, attributing it to a spiritual awakening in 2009 as MyPillow began to grow. His path shifted again in 2016 upon encountering the then-candidate during Trump’s initial presidential bid. He functioned as a warm-up speaker for dozens of Trump rallies and shared leadership of Trump's campaign efforts in Minnesota.
The backing from Trump might prove decisive in determining which of the various contenders secures the Republican nomination to face Walz. However, Lindell stated he's uncertain about Trump's intentions, despite their friendship, and indicated his own campaign's progress won't depend on the former president's backing.
In November, his Lindell TV streaming service garnered attention as one of several right-leaning news sources that became credentialed to cover the Pentagon following their acceptance of a stringent new media guideline imposed by rejected by virtually all legacy media groups.
Lindell has weathered a series of storms
Lindell’s outspoken support for Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen triggered a backlash as major retailers discontinued MyPillow products. By his own admission, revenue slumped and lines of credit dried up, costing him millions. Several vendors sued MyPillow over billing disputes. Fox News stopped running his commercials. Lawyers quit on him.
Lindell has faced two defamation lawsuits concerning his assertions that voting machines were tampered with to prevent Trump from winning.
A federal judge in Minnesota ruled in September determined that Lindell had slandered Smartmatic through 51 untrue assertions. However, the judge postponed addressing the matter of whether Lindell acted with the “actual malice” that Smartmatic is required to demonstrate for recovery. Smartmatic states it is pursuing “nine-figure damages.”
A Colorado jury in June determined that Lindell had slandered a former Dominion Voting Systems executive by labeling him a traitor, and granted $2.3 million in compensation.
However, Lindell achieved a win in July when a federal appeals court overturned a judge’s decision that upheld a $5 million arbitration award to a software engineer who contested information that Lindell asserted demonstrated Chinese meddling in the 2020 election. The engineer had agreed to Lindell’s “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge,”, which he initiated as part of his 2021 “Cyber Symposium” in South Dakota, where he pledged to reveal election irregularities.
The campaign ahead
Lindell stated his campaign against electronic voting systems would be a component of his agenda. Although Minnesota employs paper ballots, it also utilizes electronic devices to tally them. Lindell advocates for manual counting, despite numerous election administrators asserting that machine tabulation offers greater precision.
Among the Republican contenders are Minnesota's House Speaker Lisa Demuth, from Cold Spring; Dr. Scott Jensen,, a past state senator representing Chaska who ran as the party's nominee in 2022; state Representative Kristin Robbins, hailing from Maple Grove; defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Chris Madel; and former executive Kendall Qualls.
“These guys haven’t lived what I live,” Lindell said.
Lindell declined to pledge adherence to the Minnesota GOP's endorsement and to forgo the primary should he not secure it, conveying certainty in his victory. He further stated his intention to depend on his backers for campaign funding, as his personal wealth has been depleted, he admitted. “I don’t have the money,”
However, he further stated that since news emerged last week regarding his submission of candidacy documents, “I’ve had thousands upon thousands of people text and call, saying from all around the country … ‘Hey, I’ll donate.’”
