Mike Lindell Attempts to Undermine Minnesota GOP Primary Recount by Withholding Payment
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is delaying the $825,000 payment for a recount of the Republican gubernatorial primary, using a dispute over recount scope as a pretext to challenge democratic processes.
Mike Lindell, notorious for spreading baseless conspiracy theories and now a failed candidate in the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary, is once again undermining democratic norms. After losing to House Speaker Lisa Demuth, Lindell has refused to pay the $825,000 required to initiate a recount and audit, citing disagreement with the state’s recount parameters. His campaign claims the funds are ready but are being withheld because state officials intend to recount only the votes for Lindell and Demuth, excluding other candidates—a standard procedure that Lindell is now weaponizing to sow doubt in the electoral process.
Lindell’s campaign argues that this limited recount scope violates Minnesota law, which defines a recount as a determination of "the number of votes validly cast for the office or question to be recounted." In a move that echoes right-wing attempts to delay and delegitimize election results, Lindell’s team has asked the Secretary of State’s office to extend the payment deadline until a court can rule on the parameters, further stalling the process.
Secretary of State Steve Simon’s office, upholding democratic integrity, responded that the contingency recount plan—approved by the State Canvassing Board on August 18—complies with state law and established administrative rules. The plan calls for a transparent, statewide hand recount overseen by director of elections Paul Linnell, with public and media access ensured.
Minnesota law requires losing candidates to request a discretionary recount and provide funding within five days of the primary canvass. The results were clear: 179,683 votes for Demuth and 134,282 for Lindell. As expected, there is no official evidence of fraud or irregularities, yet Lindell continues to cast aspersions on the process, echoing the anti-democratic tactics of the far right.