Mike Lindell entered Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary as the polling favorite. By the end of election night, however, Lisa Demuth had secured the nomination by an 11-point margin, while Lindell questioned the results and said he wanted more time to review the vote count.
Going into Tuesday, expectations pointed one way. The results pointed another. Lindell spent election night on his own network responding to the outcome and explaining why he was not ready to concede.
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell says he wants more time to review Minnesota governor primary results after losing to Lisa Demuth
Eleven points separated Mike Lindell from Lisa Demuth when the Minnesota GOP primary concluded, and Lindell did not concede immediately.
Polling had projected success for the 65-year-old MyPillow founder. Instead, Demuth secured the Republican nomination for Minnesota’s gubernatorial race in November.
On Aug. 11, the votes were counted, and Lindell, who has repeatedly rejected the 2020 presidential election results without providing evidence accepted by courts, also declined to accept the Minnesota primary outcome. A reporter asked whether the Associated Press calling the race for Demuth would settle the result. He pushed back.
“Why would I listen to the AP? There’s 265,000 votes left — I’m down by 18,000 now,” Lindell said on his live network, LindellTV. “I’m not going to give up this race until the votes are counted. That’s nonsense.”
Reporters also asked him whether he would accept the results. Lindell said he wanted more time to review them first. “It just doesn’t make sense, you guys. So we need a day. We’re going to look into it,” he said.
He said his team had already begun reviewing the results. “We’ve got different teams right now. I’ve been on the phone with three of them. And the one person said, ‘Yes, we’ve seen a couple of anomalies,'” he added.
The New York Times and the Associated Press showed Demuth with 43.5% of the vote and Lindell with 32.5%, with 99% of ballots counted. Shortly before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Associated Press called the race for Demuth.
Donald Trump, a longtime ally of Lindell, endorsed him last month and repeated that endorsement on primary day, using Truth Social to encourage Minnesotans to vote for him. “Mike Lindell deserves a BIG WIN IN MINNESOTA today. Nobody has worked harder, and given up so much, in fighting for free and fair Elections,” Trump wrote on Aug. 11. “Go out, NOW, and VOTE for Mike Lindell for Governor. He will not let you down.”
Lindell first gained widespread recognition through MyPillow’s late-night television commercials. Before founding the company, several of his business ventures, including bars, restaurants, and a carpet-cleaning business, failed. He later discussed his “years of crack addiction” with CNBC. He became a prominent political supporter of Trump during Trump’s first term and later told PEOPLE that he believed God had chosen Trump to lead the country.
Fewer than seven days before the vote, Lindell stepped down as MyPillow’s chief executive, writing on X that the move would “devote 100% of my time and energy to my campaign.”
Demuth, who serves as Minnesota House speaker, will face U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November after Klobuchar won the Democratic primary.
TELL US – DID THE VOTERS SETTLE THIS ON TUESDAY NIGHT?
