Mike Lindell officially announces run for MN governor
CEO of My Pillow Mike Lindell speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on February 21, 2025 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The annual four-day gathering brings together conserva
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Mike Lindell, the CEO of Minnesota-based MyPillow, has officially announced he's running for Minnesota governor after filing paperwork to join the race earlier this month.
Lindell is running for MN governor
Lindell shared on social media on Thursday that he's officially running for governor.
"After prayerful consideration and hearing from so many of you across our great state, I’ve made the decision to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race. I’m still standing and I’ll stand for you," he posted on social media.
Big picture view:
Lindell joins a loaded Republican field to challenge Gov. Tim Walz in 2026.
Earlier this month, Minneapolis attorney Chris Madel announced his bid for the governor's office. Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, Rep. Kristin Robbins, and former state Sen. Scott Jensen, former MMA fighter Brad Kohler, retired U.S. Army veteran Kendall Qualls, Jeff Johnson and Phillip Parrish are all also running.
What they're saying:
When Lindell filed paperwork to run for governor, the Minnesota DFL released a statement saying:
"Mike Lindell represents exactly what today’s Republican Party has become: conspiratorial and extremist. He’s an out-of-touch salesman running to turn Minnesota into his next failed business.
"Lindell isn’t an outlier. Lindell emerges as the most recognizable candidate in the GOP’s clown car scramble for the nomination. The crowded GOP field of candidates is more focused on bending the knee to Donald Trump instead of standing up for Minnesotans. It’s a race to the bottom, where every candidate tries to win the President’s approval while working Minnesotans struggle to afford their lives. Lindell is a proven fraudster and isn’t qualified to lead Minnesota."
Lindell's political history
The backstory:
While running his pillow company, Lindell has become extremely active in the world of politics in recent years.
Lindell has been a vocal supporter of President Trump and has even launched his own media company. He landed in hot water following the 2020 election by making repeated false claims that the election was rigged.
In 2022, Lindell said the FBI seized his cell phone and questioned him about Tina Peters, a Colorado county clerk convicted of a data breach scheme in a failed attempt to prove election rigging.
Lindell has also faced lawsuits over his claims about election voting systems.
In 2023, he was ordered to pay $5 million to a software engineer who claimed he successfully completed a "Prove Mike Wrong" challenge.
As part of the challenge, Lindell offered a $5 million reward to anyone who could prove data uncovered by Lindell wasn't election interference. However, that payout was later overturned by an appellate judge. The engineer is now attempting to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.