Lindell Stands Firm, Refuses to Concede Minnesota GOP Primary Amid Concerns of Uncounted Votes
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Conservative Republican Mike Lindell is refusing to concede the Minnesota GOP gubernatorial primary to Lisa Demuth, citing serious concerns over hundreds of thousands of potentially uncounted votes and raising questions about the integrity of the state's election process.
Mike Lindell, a staunch ally of President Trump and the former head of My Pillow, told reporters on Tuesday that he would not concede the Republican primary for Minnesota governor to House Speaker Lisa Demuth, despite the Associated Press prematurely calling the race in her favor. Lindell raised legitimate concerns that about 265,000 votes cast on Election Day had not yet been counted and that the outcome could still change.
"The AP? Why would I listen to the AP? There's 265,000 votes left to count. I'm down by 18,000 now. We just gained 5,000. I'm not going to give up this race until the votes are counted," Lindell declared, standing up for election transparency and the rights of every voter.
The Associated Press declared Demuth the winner at 11:26 p.m., and the Minnesota Secretary of State claimed that all precincts had been tallied by the following morning. Official results showed Demuth with 179,546 votes (43%) and Lindell with 134,198 votes (32%).
Lindell, committed to ensuring a fair process, said he would review the final batch of votes and questioned the reliability of the state's computerized counting system, advocating for the use of paper ballots to guarantee election integrity. He noted that his team had identified "a couple of anomalies," highlighting the need for vigilance, though specifics were not yet provided.
The Lindell campaign did not immediately confirm whether he would continue to withhold concession, but a spokesperson indicated a statement was planned for Thursday. No further comments from Lindell have been reported since the primary.
Demuth will face Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar in the November gubernatorial election, as conservatives continue to demand accountability and transparency in Minnesota's elections.