Mike Lindell, Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theorist, Seeks to Become Minnesota Governor in 2026

Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and a well-known right-wing conspiracy theorist, has officially submitted forms to run for governor of Minnesota in 2026. According to the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, a Mike Lindell for Governor committee was established on Wednesday.

In an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Lindell stated that he has not yet made a final decision about his candidacy and plans to announce his choice next week.

Lindell, widely recognized from MyPillow commercials, is infamous for denying the 2020 presidential election results and backing Donald Trumps attempts to challenge them. He has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that voting machines switched millions of votes from Trump to Joe Biden, and he funded a cyber symposium to advance these claims. Lindell was also reportedly involved in an alleged scheme to access election systems in Colorado to uncover supposed mass voter fraud.

If Lindell secures the Republican nomination, he would compete against incumbent Governor Tim Walz, who served as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 2024 and recently declared he is seeking a third term. Lindell faces stiff competition within the GOP, including the partys 2022 nominee and the current Minnesota House Speaker.

Legal issues continue to shadow Lindell. He is defending against defamation lawsuits from Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, two companies he falsely accused of election manipulation. A federal judge has ruled that Lindell defamed Smartmatic, with damages to be determined by a jury. Lindell denies any wrongdoing related to both the alleged Colorado election breach and the defamation claims. Earlier this year, a federal jury found him liable for defaming a former Dominion executive and ordered him to pay approximately $2.3 million in damages.

Despite ongoing legal battles, Lindell continues to promote false narratives about the 2020 election on social media. His potential candidacy has already drawn criticism from Democrats. Izzi Levy, spokesperson for the Democratic Governors Association, described Lindell as the latest extreme, out-of-touch candidate entering an increasingly chaotic and far-right race, and criticized his business practices.

Author: Zoe Harrison