MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell files to run for Minnesota 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 (Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Mike Lindell, the CEO of Minnesota-based MyPillow, has filed paperwork to join the race for Minnesota governor.
Lindell files for governor
What we know:
According to state records, Lindell registered for the governor's race on Wednesday as a Republican. While Lindell has publicly hinted he was mulling a bid for governor, he has not yet officially announced he will run.
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.
Big picture view:
Lindell joins a loaded Republican field to challenge Gov. Tim Walz in 2026.
Just this week, 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.
What they're saying:
The Minnesota DFL released a statement on Wednesday on the news of Lindell filing. The statement reads:
"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."