Mike Lindell refused to concede after finishing second in the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary, while former President Donald Trump — who had endorsed him — has not publicly reacted. The Associated Press projected Lisa Demuth as the winner with 43.6% of the vote (93% counted); Lindell received 32.3% and Kendall Qualls 21.4%. Lindell has faced residency questions, a probable-cause finding over pillow giveaways, and major legal losses, including a $1 billion settlement with Dominion and a separate finding of defamation involving Smartmatic.
Mike Lindell Refuses to Concede Minnesota GOP Primary as Trump Remains Silent
Mike Lindell, Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, speaks during a Minnesota Governor Candidate Forum.
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell has declined to concede after finishing second in Tuesday’s Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary. The race — called by The Associated Press for GOP candidate Lisa Demuth — underscored both Lindell’s continued prominence in the party’s fringes and the legal and political troubles that have dogged his campaign.
Results
The Associated Press projected Lisa Demuth as the winner at 11:26 p.m. EDT, reporting she had secured 43.6% of the vote with roughly 93% of ballots counted. Lindell finished a distant second with 32.3%, while former health-care executive Kendall Qualls received about 21.4%.
Lindell’s Response
After the race was called, Lindell told reporters his team needed “a day” to review the results and said they had “seen a couple of anomalies,” a claim he did not substantiate with evidence. Despite having been endorsed by former President Donald Trump — who earlier urged supporters to back Lindell — Trump has not publicly commented on the outcome since the projection.
Legal and Campaign Troubles
Lindell’s campaign has been marked by several controversies and legal setbacks. He has said he depleted his finances defending himself in multiple defamation suits brought by voting-machine companies after amplifying false 2020 election fraud claims. Last month he settled a $1 billion defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems. Separately, a judge found that Lindell defamed Smartmatic; that case remains pending on damages.
The Minnesota Republican Party also raised questions about whether Lindell had met the state’s residency requirement for governor after acknowledging he had lived in Texas as recently as last year. Additionally, a judge recently found probable cause that Lindell may have violated campaign laws by distributing pillows with packaging that read "Mike Lindell for Governor" during a July Fourth parade.
In recent weeks, several law firms have withdrawn from Lindell’s legal teams amid disputes over unpaid fees and procedural concerns; Lindell has publicly said he has "no money left" to pay lawyers in some election-related matters.
Note: The original source contained a paragraph with inaccurate or unrelated claims about Minnesota’s governor and a separate large-scale fraud figure. Those claims have been omitted here pending independent verification.
What It Means
Lindell’s loss continues a pattern of mixed results for candidates endorsed by Trump in recent cycles. With the Republican primary decided, attention now turns to the November general election and whether the GOP can consolidate support behind its nominee.
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