Trump-Backed MyPillow Founder Mike Lindell Loses Minnesota Republican Gubernatorial Primary

Aug 12, 2026 11:47 AM - 1 hour ago 4

Topline

MyPillow laminitis Mike Lindell mislaid to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth successful Tuesday’s GOP Gubernatorial superior for the state, while the Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar comfortably secured her party’s information successful a authorities wherever the Democrats are heavy favored to triumph November’s wide election.

Mike Lindell, Republican campaigner for Minnesota governor, speaks during a Minnesota Governor Candidate Forum.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All authorities reserved.

Key Facts

The Associated Press called the race for Demuth astatine 11:26 p.m. ET arsenic the authorities speaker had secured 43.6% of the 93% of the votes counted.

Lindell, who was backed by President Donald Trump, came a distant 2nd pinch 32.3%% of the votes.

Kendall Qualls, a erstwhile healthcare executive who has backed the Minnesota GOP, placed 3rd pinch 21.4% of the vote.

Klobuchar won the Democratic superior pinch 89.6% of the votes, and polls show her pinch a wide lead successful the wide election.

Lindell is simply a adjacent state of Trump, who wrote connected Truth Social connected Tuesday that Lindell “deserves a BIG WIN IN MINNESOTA today,” adding, “Nobody has worked harder, and fixed up truthful much, successful fighting for free and adjacent Elections.”

The MyPillow founder’s nonaccomplishment adds him to a mini but increasing database of GOP candidates who person grounded to triumph their primaries contempt being backed by the president.

Tangent

Lindell has faced respective controversies during the campaign. The Minnesota Republican Party questioned whether Lindell has lived successful the authorities agelong capable to meet the qualifications for governor. Lindell said he lived successful Texas arsenic precocious arsenic past year, but moved backmost to Minnesota earlier the one-year deadline anterior to the Nov. 3 wide predetermination to suffice arsenic a candidate. A judge besides recovered probable origin past week that Lindell whitethorn person violated run laws by giving retired pillows successful packaging that said “Mike Lindell for Governor” during a July Fourth parade. Lindell, who stepped down arsenic CEO of MyPillow, settled a $1 cardinal defamation suit pinch Dominion Voting Systems past period aft the institution sued him for spreading mendacious claims the institution rigged the 2020 statesmanlike election.

Key Background

Walz, Kamala Harris’ moving mate successful the 2024 statesmanlike election, announced successful January he would not activity a 3rd word pursuing revelations of a monolithic use and societal services fraud scheme. Walz said he was dropping retired of the title to attraction connected his activity arsenic politician and woody pinch the fallout of the fraud scheme. Federal prosecutors person estimated the magnitude stolen could apical $9 billion, a fig Walz has disputed, but has acknowledged could agelong into the billions. Trump and his friends person utilized the strategy to target Walz’s Democratic management and the state’s Somali community, arsenic immoderate of the defendants are of Somali descent. The lawsuit involves aggregate programs that person nationalist backing crossed kid services, education, daycares and nutrient security.

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