MyPillow founder Mike Lindell is refusing to concede Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary to Lisa Demuth despite losing by over 11 percentage points on August 11, alleging voting “irregularities” in the race.
With nearly all votes counted, Demuth, the Minnesota House speaker, defeated Lindell 43.4% to 32.5%, a margin of more than 45,000 votes, according to The Guardian. The Associated Press called the race for Demuth late Tuesday night, but Lindell rejected the outcome on his streaming channel, LindellTV, saying “I’m not going to give up this race until the votes are counted.”
When asked why he wouldn’t accept the AP’s call, Lindell questioned the wire service’s authority and claimed hundreds of thousands of votes remained uncounted. “Why would I listen to the AP?” he responded to a reporter. “There’s 265,000 votes left to count. I’m down by 18,000 now.” The Hill reported that all votes have since been counted, with Demuth’s final margin holding at roughly 11 percentage points.
Lindell had received a late endorsement from President Trump, who urged Minnesota Republicans on Truth Social to vote for him on election day. “Mike Lindell deserves a BIG WIN IN MINNESOTA today,” Trump wrote, praising Lindell’s work “in fighting for free and fair Elections.” The defeat marks a rare loss for a primary candidate backed by Trump and extends a pattern of Trump endorsement failures in the 2026 cycle.
Lindell built his political prominence on claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, spending what he said were tens of millions of dollars pursuing that theory through lawsuits, documentaries, and conferences—all while courts repeatedly rejected those claims. Last month he settled a $1.3 billion defamation suit brought by voting technology company Liberty Vote, formerly Dominion Voting Systems, over those election lies, according to The Guardian.
Demuth, who becomes the first woman to win a Minnesota Republican gubernatorial nomination, said the victory was a “major milestone” for her campaign. She will face Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar in November’s general election to replace retiring Governor Tim Walz. Klobuchar easily won her own party’s primary. The state Republican Party had backed businessman Kendall Qualls, who finished third in the primary, making Demuth’s victory a setback for the official party apparatus.
Lindell’s primary loss marks a significant moment for Minnesota Republicans, who have not won a statewide election since 2006. Demuth’s nomination without Trump’s backing suggests the party may be moving away from the endorsement model that has defined recent Republican politics. Her November matchup against Klobuchar will test whether a Trump-free Republican candidate can compete in a state the former president has lost in three consecutive presidential elections.
Sources
- The Guardian — Final vote count (43.4% to 32.5%), margin of more than 45,000 votes, Lindell’s refusal to concede, settlement of defamation suit with Liberty Vote
- The Hill — Lindell’s statement on LindellTV, claim of 265,000 votes left to count and 18,000-vote deficit, Trump’s endorsement and Truth Social post
- NPR — Lindell’s loss to Demuth, Trump endorsement, Demuth as first woman to win Minnesota GOP gubernatorial nomination, Klobuchar’s primary win
