Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO and a prominent 2020 election conspiracist, on Thursday announced he will run for governor of Minnesota, setting up a long-shot Republican bid against two-term incumbent Gov. Tim Walz (D) in an already crowded race.
In an eight-minute video filmed at his MyPillow factory in Shakopee, Minnesota, Lindell discussed his company and overcoming drug addiction. He accused the Biden administration and political opponents of targeting him and his company due to his support for President Donald Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.
“Well, it didn’t work. I’m still standing. MyPillow is still standing. And now I want you to know that I will stand for you as governor of the state of Minnesota,” Lindell said.
Lindell had suggested his run last week by filing paperwork that allowed him to raise money. His official entrance adds to a packed Republican field of challengers hoping to unseat Walz in 2026, including Minneapolis attorney Chris Madel, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, Rep. Kristin Robbins and others.
An ardent supporter of Trump, Lindell was a key figure at the center of baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump and has faced various lawsuits and other financial challenges as a result.
In June, Lindell and his media company FrankSpeech were found liable for defamation in a federal lawsuit brought by one of Dominion Voting Systems’ former employees and ordered to pay $2.3 million to the former staffer. A separate defamation lawsuit by Dominion — which argued Lindell refused to stop repeating false claims that its voting machines were manipulated to rig the 2020 election against Trump — is still pending.
In September, a federal judge ruled the pillow executive defamed another election technology company, Smartmatic, through similar claims. At a federal court hearing in April, Lindell said his legal disputes left him “in ruins” and unable to pay court-ordered sanctions to election software maker Smartmatic, according to ABC News.
Lindell was also initially ordered to pay $5 million to a Nevada man who in 2021 accepted his viral challenge to “Prove Mike Wrong” by showing that Lindell’s purported evidence of election fraud did not actually indicate widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. But an appeals court overturned the order, sparing him from another payout.
The mounting fallout also affected his company, MyPillow, with major retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Wayfair and Kohl’s removing his products in 2021. The Chaska, Minnesota-based company also faced lawsuits claiming unpaid invoices and loans.
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