Mike Lindell, the famously energetic CEO of MyPillow and a steadfast ally of former President Donald Trump, has officially thrown his hat into the ring for Minnesota’s 2026 gubernatorial race. Announcing his candidacy on December 11, 2025, from the bustling floor of his Shakopee factory, Lindell made clear he intends to win the Republican nomination and challenge incumbent Democratic Governor Tim Walz, who is seeking a historic third term after a stint as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 2024.
Lindell’s campaign launch was anything but conventional. With the clang and hiss of MyPillow machinery as his backdrop and workers packaging pillows in the wings, Lindell streamed his announcement live on his own Lindell TV platform. "I want you to know that I will stand for you as governor of the state of Minnesota," he declared, echoing the same bravado that’s made him a household name in both business and conservative politics. Almost immediately, he took his message to a wider audience, hopping on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast and promising to take his campaign to every corner of Minnesota aboard a red-white-and-blue bus.
Lindell’s entry into the race comes after weeks of speculation and behind-the-scenes maneuvering. He told reporters he’d informed Trump back in August 2025 about his intentions, although he remains uncertain whether the former president will offer an endorsement—a factor that could weigh heavily among Republican delegates deciding the nomination. Lindell has also sought advice from Trump’s former personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who is now a regular presence on Lindell TV and a campaign adviser.
His candidacy adds yet another name to a crowded and competitive Republican primary. Other contenders include Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, former state senator Scott Jensen (the party’s 2022 nominee), state Rep. Kristin Robbins, defense attorney Chris Madel, and former executive Kendall Qualls. Whoever emerges from this field will face Walz, a Democrat with an established record but also dogged by a high-profile fraud scandal involving pandemic-era welfare programs.
Lindell wasted no time targeting Walz over that scandal. Federal prosecutors allege that hundreds of millions of dollars were stolen from nutrition and welfare programs meant to help Minnesotans during the pandemic. “I will fight for you against the rampant fraud happening under Governor Walz,” Lindell pledged during his announcement. “I will fight for you against crime and the threats facing your family.” He painted a picture of Minnesota families “taken advantage of” and “left without support,” promising to restore integrity and oversight to state government.
Walz, for his part, has defended his administration’s response, telling NBC’s Meet the Press in November 2025, “We’ll put folks in jail. I don’t care what your nationality is. I don’t care what your religion is, your color—if you’re committing crimes.” Yet, the Walz campaign wasted no time in going on the offensive against Lindell, labeling him a “snake oil salesman caught up in multiple legal fights who wants to bring Trump extremism to Minnesota.” The Democratic Governors Association called the Republican primary a “nightmare scenario for Minnesota Republicans,” suggesting that Lindell’s high profile and controversial reputation could make him a tough sell in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican governor since 2006.
Indeed, Lindell’s notoriety extends well beyond Minnesota. He rose to national prominence not just as a late-night TV pitchman, but as one of the loudest voices in the movement to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He bankrolled bus tours and right-wing rallies, amplified conspiracy theories about voting technology companies Dominion and Smartmatic, and spent millions pursuing lawsuits that ultimately failed to prove any fraud. He even hosted a three-day “Cyber Symposium” in 2021 and offered a $5 million “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge” to anyone who could disprove his claims of Chinese interference—an episode that later landed him in legal hot water.
The legal consequences have been severe. Dominion Voting Systems (now rebranded as Liberty Vote) and Smartmatic have both filed defamation suits against Lindell. In June 2025, a Colorado jury found he had defamed a former Dominion executive, awarding $2.3 million in damages. A federal judge in Minnesota ruled in September 2025 that Lindell defamed Smartmatic with 51 false statements, with the company seeking “nine-figure damages.” Lindell did notch a rare legal victory in July 2025, when a federal appeals court overturned a $5 million arbitration award related to his election fraud claims. Still, the lawsuits have left him in deep financial trouble, with major retailers dropping MyPillow products, revenue slumping, and lines of credit drying up. “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,” Lindell told The Associated Press, insisting that his resilience makes him uniquely qualified to govern.
Lindell’s campaign platform is a blend of his signature populism and personal narrative. He touts his experience overcoming a crack cocaine addiction in 2009, just as MyPillow was taking off, and frames his business acumen as proof he can solve problems for Minnesotans. He pledges to fight fraud in government programs, reduce crime, and roll back what he sees as suffocating regulation. Notably, he wants Minnesota to abandon electronic voting tabulators in favor of hand-counted ballots, despite election officials’ insistence that machine counting is more accurate and efficient.
His campaign is also a test of whether national celebrity can translate into statewide political success. Lindell remains a fixture in Trump’s orbit—Trump even paused a speech at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference to praise him, saying, “That man suffered. And he never changed his mind. He said that the election of 2020 was rigged.” But Trump declined to endorse Lindell’s 2023 bid for Republican National Committee chair, and Lindell received only a handful of votes. Whether Trump will back him for governor remains an open question.
Financially, Lindell admits he’s running on fumes. “I don’t have the money,” he acknowledged, but added that since word leaked about his campaign, “I’ve had thousands upon thousands of people text and call, saying from all around the country … ‘Hey, I’ll donate.’” He says he’ll rely on grassroots supporters to fund his campaign, a strategy that mirrors his outsider status and anti-establishment message.
As the campaign season heats up, Lindell’s candidacy promises to keep Minnesota politics in the national spotlight. Whether voters will see him as a problem-solver who’s weathered storms—or as a divisive figure too extreme for the state’s moderate electorate—remains to be seen. The only certainty is that, true to form, Lindell’s run will be anything but dull.
