‘MyPillow Guy’ and Trump supporter Mike Lindell says he’s running for Minnesota governor in 2026

SHAKOPEE, Minn. (AP) — Mike Lindell, the fervent protagonist of President Donald Trump known to TV viewers arsenic the “MyPillow Guy,” officially entered the contention for Minnesota politician Thursday successful hopes of winning the Republican information to situation Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

“I’ll permission nary municipality unturned successful Minnesota,” Lindell told The Associated Press successful an interrogation up of a quality league acceptable for Thursday.

He said helium has a grounds of solving problems and idiosyncratic experiences that volition assistance businesses and combat addiction and homelessness arsenic good arsenic fraud successful authorities programs. The fraud contented has peculiarly dogged Walz, who announced successful September that he’s seeking a 3rd word successful the 2026 election.

A TV pitchman and predetermination denier

Lindell, 64, founded his pillow institution successful Minnesota successful 2009 and became its nationalist look done infomercials that became ubiquitous connected late-night television. But helium and his institution faced a drawstring of ineligible and fiscal setbacks aft helium became a starring amplifier of Trump’s mendacious claims that the 2020 predetermination was stolen. He said helium has flooded them.

“Not lone person I built businesses, you look astatine occupation solution,” Lindell said successful his trademark rapid-fire style. “I was capable to marque it done the biggest onslaught connected a company, and a person, astir apt different than Donald Trump, successful the past of our media ... lawfare and everything.”

While nary Republican has won statewide bureau successful Minnesota since 2006, the state's voters person a past of making unconventional choices. They shocked the satellite by electing erstwhile nonrecreational wrestler Jesse Ventura arsenic politician successful 1998. And they picked a seasoned TV pitchman successful 1978 erstwhile they elected location betterment institution proprietor Rudy Boschwitz arsenic a U.S. senator.

Lindell has often talked astir however helium overcame a ace cocaine addiction with a spiritual conversion successful 2009 arsenic MyPillow was getting going. His beingness took different crook successful 2016 erstwhile helium met the aboriginal president during Trump's archetypal campaign. He served arsenic a warm-up talker astatine dozens of Trump rallies and co-chaired Trump's run successful Minnesota.

Trump's endorsement could beryllium the cardinal to which of respective candidates wins the GOP information to situation Walz. But Lindell said helium doesn't cognize what Trump volition do, adjacent though they're friends, and said his run isn't contingent connected the president's support.

His Lindell TV streaming level was successful the quality successful November erstwhile it became 1 of respective blimpish quality outlets that became credentialed to screen the Pentagon aft agreeing to a restrictive caller property argumentation rejected by virtually each bequest media organizations.

Lindell has weathered a bid of storms

Lindell's outspoken enactment for Trump's mendacious claims that the 2020 predetermination was stolen triggered a backlash arsenic large retailers discontinued MyPillow products. By his ain admission, gross slumped and lines of recognition dried up, costing him millions. Several vendors sued MyPillow implicit billing disputes. Fox News stopped moving his commercials. Lawyers discontinue connected him.

Lindell has been sued doubly for defamation implicit his claims that voting machines were manipulated to deprive Trump of a victory.

A national justice successful Minnesota ruled successful September that Lindell defamed Smartmatic with 51 mendacious statements. But the justice deferred the question of whether Lindell acted with the “actual malice” that Smartmatic indispensable beryllium to collect. Smartmatic says it's seeking “nine-figure damages.”

A Colorado assemblage successful June recovered that Lindell defamed a erstwhile Dominion Voting Systems enforcement by calling him a traitor, and awarded $2.3 cardinal successful damages.

But Lindell won a triumph successful July erstwhile a national appeals tribunal overturned a judge's determination that affirmed a $5 cardinal arbitration grant to a bundle technologist who disputed information that Lindell claimed proved Chinese interference successful the 2020 election. The technologist had accepted Lindell's “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge,” which helium launched arsenic portion of his 2021 “Cyber Symposium” successful South Dakota, wherever helium promised to exposure predetermination fraud.

The run ahead

Lindell said his crusade against physics voting machines volition conscionable beryllium portion of his platform. While Minnesota uses insubstantial ballots, it besides uses physics tabulators to number them. Lindell wants them hand-counted, adjacent though galore predetermination officials accidental instrumentality counting is much accurate.

Some Republicans successful the contention see Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring; Dr. Scott Jensen, a erstwhile authorities legislator from Chaska who was the party's 2022 candidate; authorities Rep. Kristin Robbins, of Maple Grove; defence lawyer and erstwhile national authoritative Chris Madel; and erstwhile enforcement Kendall Qualls.

“These guys haven’t lived what I live,” Lindell said.

Lindell wouldn't perpetrate to abiding by the Minnesota GOP endorsement and forgoing the superior if helium loses it, expressing assurance that he'll win. He besides said he'll trust connected his supporters to concern his run due to the fact that his ain finances are drained. “I don’t person the money,” helium acknowledged.

But helium added that ever since connection got retired past week that helium had filed the paperwork to run, “I’ve had thousands upon thousands of radical substance and call, saying from each astir the state ... ‘Hey, I’ll donate.’”

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