The Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate lost his primary by a significant margin, but still demands a recount and audit of the election
Credit: Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Mike Lindell is privately funding a $825,000 statewide recount of Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary, claiming there were voting irregularities after his handy defeat
- The MyPillow founder launched a website to gather donations and share alleged evidence of electronic voting machine manipulation in the primary election
- Lindell, who has previously spread President Donald Trump’s baseless lies of 2020 election fraud, lost to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell is privately funding a hand recount and audit of Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary, which he lost by 11 points on Aug. 11.
In an Aug. 18 statement posted to his social media accounts, Lindell, 65, announced that he will privately fund a statewide recount, claiming there were “irregularities identified in election-night electronic reporting data.”
The effort would be among the largest privately funded statewide paper-ballot recounts and audits in U.S. history, with costs projected to reach $825,000, according to CBS News.
Sign up for PEOPLE on the Kennedys, our free weekly newsletter where editor-at-large Liz McNeil examines one of America’s most famous political dynasties.
The staunch Trump ally launched the Lindell Offense Fund website where supporters can make donations to help him fund the recount. The site also details what he describes as evidence of computer manipulation in the primary election and links to a petition filed against voting machines with the Minnesota Supreme Court.
“We’ve now analyzed the election night reporting from the August 11th Minnesota governor’s primary, and what we found demands answers,” Lindell, a known election denier, says in a video posted to the site. “I believe that this paper ballot recount and audit is the gateway to finally end the use of electronic voting machines in our USA elections.”
With 99% of votes counted, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth won the Republican gubernatorial primary with 43.5% of the vote, while Lindell received 32.5%, per The Associated Press.
Credit: Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty
Although he ultimately lost by double digits, Lindell was seen as the frontrunner prior to Election Day, according to polling data. He received Trump’s endorsement over Demuth in July.
Prior to his gubernatorial campaign, Lindell was known for his late-night MyPillow commercials. Lindell previously tried and failed to run bars, restaurants and a carpet cleaning business, and later told CNBC he struggled with “years of crack addiction.” In 2021, Lindell launched a conservative media platform LindellTV, formerly known as FrankSpeech.com.
He has spread debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election and previously helped finance Trump’s unsuccessful efforts to overturn the election results.
On Aug. 18, Demuth spoke to the public after her primary win, saying that she plans to continue work to eliminate fraud in Minnesota, while also focusing on affordability and supporting education if elected governor and working in a “bipartisan way” Fox 21 News reports.
Demuth will face Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Klobuchar, the state’s senior U.S. senator, in November.
Read the full article here