Mike Lindell’s possible run for governor met with mix of excitement, unease from GOP

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is testing Republicans’ appetite for Trump-style politics as he toys with a possible run for Minnesota governor next fall.

Lindell’s close proximity to President Donald Trump and prominence in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement could make him a top contender for the GOP nomination, despite concerns about his electability and promotion of debunked election fraud theories.

“The base is very MAGA these days,” said Joe Ditto, chair of the Minnesota Second Congressional District Republicans. “So, I don’t think the establishment has much influence in the endorsing process.”

Lindell told the Minnesota Star Tribune last week he’s taking steps toward running for governor and has polled hypothetical matchups against Gov. Tim Walz and other Republicans running for governor.

“If there was someone to win, it would be me,” Lindell said.

But Republicans aligned with the more moderate wing of the party say having Lindell atop the ticket could torpedo their chance of winning the governor’s office for the first time since 2006. They’re looking for a candidate with broad appeal to face Walz, who they believe is vulnerable as he seeks a third term after a failed run for vice president.

Former GOP state Rep. Kelly Fenton, who once served as the Republican Party of Minnesota’s deputy chair, described a possible Lindell campaign as a “dumpster fire.”

A federal judge in Minnesota last week found that Lindell defamed voting machine company Smartmatic with his attacks on the 2020 presidential election results. A jury must now decide whether to award the $1.5 billion in damages that Smartmatic is seeking.

Lindell is also on the hook for $2.3 million in damages, pending appeal, following a separate defamation verdict in a suit brought by a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems, another voting machine company. He said in testimony during that case that he is $10 million in debt.

Minnesota Republicans have looked past legal troubles before. Few expected former NBA player Royce White, who espouses conspiracy theories and has a history of legal and campaign finance problems, to win the Minnesota GOP’s endorsement for U.S. Senate last year. But White, a close ally of Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon, swept the convention with 67% of the vote, winning the party’s nod to take on U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. He lost to the Democrat by about 16 percentage points.

White has become an influential voice in state GOP politics and is running for the U.S. Senate again. He welcomed the possibility of a Lindell campaign for governor on social media last week, posting: “That’s a MAGA ticket for you!”

Walz’s re-election campaign has been fundraising off the news of Lindell’s gubernatorial interest. The campaign said in an email blast Tuesday that “MAGA extremists are jumping in this race left and right, now including infamous conspiracy theorist and election denier Mike Lindell.”

Lindell has mused about running for governor before. He floated the possibility of challenging Walz in the 2022 election but ultimately decided against it, even as Trump encouraged him to run.

AK Kamara, a Republican National Committee member in Minnesota, said Lindell “resonates a lot with the MAGA base” and likely would garner support from conservatives who are skeptical about election integrity.

But Kamara noted that Lindell’s opposition to early absentee voting put him at odds with Trump and the RNC last year, when they made early and mail-in voting a key part of their election strategy.

“That type of cross-messaging I think was a little bit frustrating for the campaign,” he said.

Ditto said Lindell would certainly have a chance to win the GOP nomination, especially with a Trump endorsement.

Ditto said Jensen will have to answer for shifting his positions on issues such as abortion. And Robbins will have to explain to delegates why she served as Minnesota chair of Nikki Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign, he said.

The party’s delegates will look to Trump for endorsement, Ditto said.