President Trump’s endorsement has shaped Republican primary season and brought down a series of incumbents. But the limits of its power were on display on Tuesday in Minnesota, where Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and outspoken election denier, came up short in the Republican primary for governor.
Mr. Trump intervened in the race last month, issuing an endorsement in which he referred to Mr. Lindell as the “Pillow Man” and called him “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots.”
Mr. Lindell has loudly amplified Mr. Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. Last year, a jury found that the pillow entrepreneur had defamed an election security expert.
Mr. Lindell plainly had weaknesses as a candidate for Minnesota governor. During the race, he acknowledged that he was registered to vote in Texas, not Minnesota.
And the Minnesota Republican Party expressed deep skepticism about his candidacy, issuing a statement last month warning that he had significant “financial baggage” and “electability concerns.” The statement suggested that Republicans should nominate a candidate with “serious, disciplined leadership.”
In the end, Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House, won the Republican primary for governor, defeating Mr. Lindell by about 11 percentage points.
Minnesota is a Democratic-leaning state, and Republicans expect to face an uphill battle against Senator Amy Klobuchar, who easily won the Democratic nomination for governor on Tuesday. The race for governor has not captured the same level of attention as Minnesota’s race for Senate, in which Michele Tafoya, a moderate Republican and a prominent former N.F.L. sideline reporter, is seeking to flip a seat.
Mr. Trump continued to push Mr. Lindell’s candidacy through the end of the primary race, saying on Tuesday on social media that Mr. Lindell deserved a “BIG WIN.” He wrote that “Nobody has worked harder, and given up so much, in fighting for free and fair Elections.”
After his loss, Mr. Lindell did not immediately concede. Instead, he suggested to reporters, without providing evidence, that there might have been “anomalies” in the election process.
Mr. Trump, who has never given up his false claims about his 2020 loss, did not immediately echo Mr. Lindell’s claims about the Minnesota race.
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