Mike Lindell refused to concede the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary after Decision Desk HQ showed Lisa Demuth leading by about 11 points (approximately 43.4% to 32.4%). On LindellTV he questioned media calls and cited outstanding ballots, saying he would not drop out until all votes were counted. Demuth celebrated her victory and urged supporters to prepare for the November election, while Trump had previously endorsed Lindell and Rep. Ted Lieu mocked Lindell's refusal to concede.
Mike Lindell Refuses to Concede Minnesota GOP Primary as Lisa Demuth Claims Victory
MyPillow Founder Mike Lindell Refuses to Concede Minnesota GOP Primary Loss as Lisa Demuth Celebrates Victory
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell refused to concede the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary after Decision Desk HQ showed state House Speaker Lisa Demuth holding a decisive lead.
Decision Desk HQ reported Demuth with roughly 43.4% of the vote and Lindell with about 32.4%, a margin of roughly 11 percentage points. Speaking on his LindellTV network when asked whether he would concede if The Associated Press called the race, Lindell responded, "Why would I listen to the AP?" He added, "There's 265,000 votes left to count. I'm down by 18,000 now," and said, "I'm not going to give up this race until the votes are counted. That's nonsense."
Lindell has previously questioned the integrity of U.S. elections and promoted former President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 presidential election. Earlier in the week, Trump urged Minnesota Republican voters to support Lindell, praising him for fighting for what he described as "free and fair Elections." In July, Trump formally endorsed Lindell for governor.
Demuth, who posted on X following the results, called it "an absolute honor" to become the Republican nominee and described the outcome as a "major milestone." She said voters were ready for "real change," pledged to "end the fraud" and restore "common sense" to state government, and urged supporters to focus on the November general election: "Let's go win in November!"
On the Democratic side, Sen. Amy Klobuchar won the party's gubernatorial primary with 614,474 votes (89.7%), according to The Associated Press.
Representative Ted Lieu mocked Lindell's refusal to concede on X, sarcastically suggesting foreign interference because "they don't like his pillows."
Last week Lindell stepped down as CEO of MyPillow after 22 years, reduced his ownership stake to a minority position and remains a shareholder and board member so he can devote full-time attention to his gubernatorial campaign.
Context: Decision Desk HQ and the Associated Press are among outlets reporting the results; neither Lindell nor Demuth immediately responded to Benzinga's request for comment as counts continued.
Photo Courtesy: lev radin on Shutterstock.com
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