Trump backs Mike Lindell in Minnesota governor race controversy

Donald Trump endorsed Mike Lindell for Minnesota governor, putting his name behind one of the state’s most outspoken election-denial figures. The move landed at the same time voter records showed Lindell had no active registration in Minnesota and an active registration in Texas.

Lindell had already filed paperwork to run for governor before the endorsement became public. The Minnesota Secretary of State’s office said Lindell did not have an active voter record in Minnesota, a striking problem for a candidate trying to win the state’s top job and, as one comment in coverage noted, needing to register in Minnesota before he could vote for himself in the August primary.

The contradiction cut directly into Lindell’s campaign identity. Associated Press coverage identified him as MyPillow’s founder and chief executive and a supporter of Trump, while other coverage described him as a leader in the election-denial movement. That mix of business branding, Trump loyalty and election-fraud politics has made Lindell a familiar figure in Republican circles far beyond Minnesota.

Trump’s support also sharpened an already crowded and tense GOP primary. Minnesota Republicans had been divided over the governor’s race, and the endorsement added more pressure to candidates who had been looking for the former president’s blessing, including state House Speaker Lisa Demuth and businessman Kendall Qualls. The result was not just a boost for Lindell, but another reminder of how deeply Trump’s influence still runs through Republican primaries in Minnesota.

Democrats seized on the endorsement fight as an opening in a state where control of the governor’s office can shape everything from health policy to abortion access, labor rules and voting administration. The mix of Lindell’s ballot-access problem and Trump’s intervention gave Democrats reason to see the race as less about policy debate than about the Republican Party’s continued embrace of election denial.

Lindell’s campaign website later said Trump had endorsed him and claimed a June internal poll showed Lindell had expanded his lead in the Republican primary. That left him with the short-term benefit of Trump’s backing and the longer-term problem of trying to turn a loyalty test into a credible bid for governor.