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By Gabe Whisnant
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Mike Lindell, a fervent supporter of President Donald Trump and known to television viewers as the “MyPillow Guy,” officially entered the Minnesota governor’s race Thursday. He is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
“I’ll leave no town unturned in Minnesota,” Lindell told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of a planned news conference.
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Why It Matters
Lindell, 64, built his reputation as the founder and public face of MyPillow, the Minnesota-based company he launched in 2009 and promoted through late-night infomercials that became widely recognizable. But his high-profile embrace of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen brought a cascade of legal and financial troubles for both him and his company. Lindell says he has weathered those challenges and is moving forward.
What To Know
Lindell said he has a record of solving problems and personal experience that he believes will help businesses and address addiction, homelessness and fraud in government programs. Fraud has been a persistent issue for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who announced in September that he will seek a third term in the 2026 election.
No Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, yet voters have a history of backing unconventional candidates. They elected former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura governor in 1998 and chose Rudy Boschwitz, a home-improvement pitchman, as a U.S. senator in 1978. Lindell says he hopes to tap into that tradition.
The GOP field already includes Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth; former state Sen. Scott Jensen, the party’s 2022 nominee; state Rep. Kristin Robbins; attorney Chris Madel; and former executive Kendall Qualls. Lindell argued that his life experience sets him apart.
“These guys haven’t lived what I live,” he said.
Lindell frequently cites his personal story of addiction and recovery as part of his political message. He has spoken openly about overcoming a crack cocaine addiction through a religious conversion in 2009, just as MyPillow was beginning to grow. His political trajectory shifted in 2016 after meeting Trump during the future president’s first campaign. Lindell became a regular warm-up speaker at Trump rallies and served as co-chair of Trump’s Minnesota campaign.
Trump’s endorsement is expected to play a significant role in determining the Republican nominee to challenge Walz. But Lindell said he does not know how the former president will approach the race and insisted his campaign does not depend on Trump’s support.
Lindell’s media ventures have also drawn recent attention. His Lindell TV streaming platform became one of several conservative outlets credentialed to cover the Pentagon in November under a new policy that most mainstream news organizations rejected.
His political rise, however, has unfolded alongside a series of professional and legal battles. Major retailers stopped selling MyPillow products after Lindell advanced Trump’s false election claims, leading to steep revenue declines. Vendors sued MyPillow over billing disputes, lawyers dropped him, and Fox News stopped airing his advertisements. He also faces multiple defamation suits.
A federal judge in Minnesota ruled in September that Lindell made 51 false statements that defamed the voting technology company Smartmatic, though the ruling left open whether he acted with “actual malice,” a key legal threshold. Smartmatic is seeking nine-figure damages. In June, a Colorado jury awarded $2.3 million to a former Dominion Voting Systems executive after finding that Lindell defamed him by calling him a traitor.
Lindell has won at least one legal reprieve. In July, a federal appeals court overturned a ruling affirming a $5 million arbitration award to a software engineer who challenged data Lindell claimed proved Chinese interference in the 2020 election. The dispute stemmed from Lindell’s “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge,” tied to his 2021 “Cyber Symposium.”
As a candidate, Lindell said his effort to eliminate electronic voting machines will be part of a broader platform. Minnesota uses paper ballots but relies on electronic tabulators to count them. Lindell wants ballots hand-counted, a proposal election officials say is less accurate.
What People Are Saying
Lindell told AP, “Not only have I built businesses, you look at problem solution. I was able to make it through the biggest attack on a company, and a person, probably other than Donald Trump, in the history of our media ... lawfare and everything.”
Walz posted on X, "We’ve seen what happens when we elect a con man to the highest office in America. We can’t let it happen here in Minnesota."
What Happens Next
Lindell declined to say whether he would abide by the Minnesota GOP’s endorsement process and skip the primary if he loses. He said his finances are depleted and he will rely on supporters to fund his campaign. But since word spread that he filed to run, he said, “I’ve had thousands upon thousands of people text and call … ‘Hey, I’ll donate.’”
Updates: 12/11/25, 1:02 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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