The short version
- Lisa Demuth secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Minnesota with a significant lead over Mike Lindell.
- Lindell dismissed the Associated Press race call and claimed hundreds of thousands of votes remained uncounted.
- The result marks another setback for Donald Trump-endorsed candidates in recent primary contests across multiple states.
Mike Lindell, the businessman known for his MyPillow brand and persistent claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, has refused to acknowledge defeat in the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary. Despite trailing by more than ten percentage points with nearly all ballots tallied, Lindell maintained on his personal streaming platform that the race remained undecided. He argued that a substantial number of votes had not yet been processed, rejecting the authority of news organizations to declare an outcome before official certification.
Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, emerged as the clear winner in the contest. With almost all precincts reporting, she held a lead of over 45,000 votes against Lindell, capturing 43.4 percent of the ballot compared to his 32.5 percent. The Associated Press called the race for Demuth late Tuesday night, citing the insurmountable gap and the volume of remaining uncounted ballots. Businessman Kendall Qualls, who had the support of the state Republican Party, finished in third place.
Lindell’s response to the results mirrored the rhetoric he has employed since losing his 2020 presidential bid. When confronted by a reporter on LindellTV regarding the wire service’s declaration, he dismissed the call as nonsense and insisted he would not relinquish the campaign until every vote was accounted for. He did not specify what legal or administrative steps he intended to take to challenge the results, nor did he respond to requests for comment on his future plans.
This primary outcome continues a pattern of underperformance for candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump in recent election cycles. Trump made a late, personal appeal to Minnesota Republicans on social media, urging them to deliver a decisive victory for Lindell and praising the candidate’s stance on electoral integrity. However, similar endorsements have failed to secure wins in other states, including losses for Andy Ogles in Tennessee and Amir Hassan in Michigan.
Lindell’s candidacy was also marked by questions regarding his eligibility to hold office in Minnesota. For several weeks prior to the election, he was not registered to vote in the state, with his registration remaining active in Texas due to property ownership there. Although he claimed to have re-established residency in Minnesota, state laws allowing same-day registration permitted him to run and cast a ballot regardless of his prior status.
The former pillow magnate built his recent political profile around the conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was rigged, investing tens of millions of dollars into lawsuits, documentaries, and conferences promoting this narrative. Courts consistently rejected these legal challenges. Last month, Lindell settled a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit brought by Liberty Vote, formerly Dominion Voting Systems, regarding his false claims about voting technology.
Demuth’s victory represents a historic moment for the Minnesota Republican Party, as she becomes the first woman to win the party’s gubernatorial nomination. She characterized the result as a milestone but emphasized that her campaign’s efforts were not yet complete. Her path forward involves a general election matchup in November against Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic senator who easily won her own primary.
The upcoming contest will determine the successor to retiring Governor Tim Walz. While Lindell’s refusal to concede introduces uncertainty regarding the timeline for official certification and potential legal challenges, the margin of victory suggests Demuth is well-positioned to secure the nomination. The political landscape in Minnesota remains defined by intense partisan competition and ongoing debates over election administration.
Observers note that Lindell’s actions may complicate the transition process if he pursues further litigation or public campaigns questioning the results. However, with no immediate indication of specific legal filings, the focus shifts to Demuth’s preparation for the general election. The outcome in Minnesota will be closely watched as an indicator of Republican voter sentiment and the viability of Trump-aligned candidates in swing states.
As the state prepares to finalize vote counts, the incident highlights the enduring impact of election denialism on American political discourse. Lindell’s insistence that the race is not over, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, underscores the challenges faced by electoral institutions in maintaining public trust. The coming weeks will reveal whether his claims gain traction or fade as official results are certified.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian US Politics↗Mike Lindell refuses to concede in Minnesota primary despite getting many less votes than winner