MyPillow founder Mike Lindell has filed paperwork to run for governor of Minnesota, challenging incumbent Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
Mr. Lindell, 64, a vocal Trump supporter, registered a fundraising campaign committee with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board on Dec. 3.
He told Minnesota Public Radio that he is “98% sure” he will run and will formally announce his decision at a Dec. 11 news conference.
Mr. Lindell, who has close ties to the MAGA movement and appeared at multiple campaign events during the 2024 election, is likely to run as a Republican and would face a crowded GOP primary field.
A dozen other Republicans have announced their candidacies, including 2022 gubernatorial nominee Scott Jensen, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, state Rep. Kristin Robbins, attorney Chris Madel and business owner Kendall Qualls.
Mr. Walz, who is running for a third term, campaigned with former Vice President Kamala last year as her vice presidential running mate.
“If there was someone to win, it would be me,” Mr. Lindell told the Minnesota Star Tribune.
The Democratic Governors Association dubbed Mr. Lindell a “sleazy businessman.”
“Mike Lindell is the latest extreme, out-of-touch candidate to jump into what is becoming a more chaotic and dangerous race to the far-right by the day,” spokesperson Izzi Levy said in a statement. “His entrance into the race is a bitter pill-ow for Minnesota Republicans to swallow.”
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party Chair Richard Carlbom told the Star Tribune that Mr. Lindell “represents exactly what today’s Republican Party has become: conspiratorial, extremist, and weird.”
Mr. Lindell has faced multiple legal issues over claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. He repeatedly said the technology company Smartmatic rigged the results in favor of former President Joseph R. Biden. He was also sued several times for his election tampering claims, such as a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems in 2021.
Mr. Lindell claimed his legal battles left him without any money.
He told U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols he was “in ruins” during an April 16 hearing in Washington.
When speculating about his political future earlier this year, Mr. Lindell said, “We are doing our due diligence and so far things are looking very good!”
“I will certainly be adding securing our elections to my platform! We polled Minnesota and ’secure our elections’ was the #3 concern!” he said.
