Minnesota’s Supreme Court rejected Mike Lindell’s bid to overturn his loss in the Republican gubernatorial primary, ending his legal challenge to the August 11 election in which he lost to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth by 45,000 votes. Chief Justice Natalie Hudson issued the six-page ruling on Saturday, finding that the state’s recount plan follows Minnesota law and that Lindell’s claims lacked merit.
Lindell, the MyPillow founder and a fierce Trump ally, had initially pledged to pay an estimated $825,000 to fund a full hand recount of all 1.1 million ballots cast in the gubernatorial primary. However, he refused to submit payment by the August 24 deadline after learning that the state’s recount plan would count ballots only for him and Demuth, rather than all seven Republican candidates in the race.
In his lawsuit, Lindell claimed the state had pulled a “bait-and-switch” by narrowing the scope of what he could recount. He argued he was entitled to examine all ballots to investigate alleged “anomalies” he attributed to electronic voting machines. Hudson’s ruling rejected this argument, writing that Lindell’s focus on alleged anomalies “confuses the purpose of a manual recount with an election contest.” The justice noted that under the state-approved plan, Lindell would still know whether he had won over Demuth after all votes were sorted and counted, and all ballots would be subject to challenge.
Lindell told NBC News on Saturday evening that he plans to appeal the Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. He also said he is requesting data from all 87 Minnesota counties through the Freedom of Information Act to pursue what he described as an independent investigation of the election data. “I’m willing to pay even more money. I don’t care what it costs,” Lindell said.
The ruling effectively confirms Demuth as the Republican nominee for governor. She will face Democratic nominee Senator Amy Klobuchar in the November general election, along with Green Party candidate Steven Young. State election officials had warned that a recount launched this late in the cycle could delay preparations for general election ballots, with early voting set to begin September 18 and ballot printing scheduled to start the following week.
Lindell’s recount effort reflects his broader pattern of challenging election results. The MyPillow founder has long denied the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, claims that earned him the backing of President Donald Trump in his gubernatorial campaign. Lindell had withheld the recount payment citing what he called an unlawful scope set by state officials, claiming the process should have included votes from all candidates and both the Democratic and Republican primaries.
Beyond the Minnesota primary recount dispute, Lindell faces multiple defamation lawsuits related to his 2020 election claims. In June 2025, a judge ruled that Lindell had defamed Smartmatic, a voting technology company, with false statements that its machines helped rig the 2020 election. Lindell was ordered to pay $2.3 million in damages but has refused to pay court-ordered sanctions and fees, which have accumulated to more than the original award. Dominion Voting Systems dropped a $1.3 billion defamation suit against Lindell in June 2026, though Lindell continues to face the Smartmatic case in federal court.
Sources
- NBC News — Minnesota Supreme Court rejection of Lindell’s recount bid, loss margin of 45,000 votes, Lindell’s statement on appeal plans, the $825,000 recount cost, and Lindell’s history of defamation litigation
- MPR News — Supreme Court six-page ruling, denial of Lindell’s attempt to broaden recount scope, all 1.1 million ballots and seven-candidate field context, and election timeline concerns
- Star Tribune — Chief Justice Hudson’s ruling on Lindell’s missed August 24 deadline, $825,000 payment requirement, and Demuth’s general election opponent
