Mike Lindell walks into federal district court for a defamation trial, June 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)2025-12-11T16:02:45Z SHAKOPEE, Minn. (AP) Mike Lindell, the fervent supporter of President Donald Trump known to TV viewers as the MyPillow Guy, officially entered the race for Minnesota governor Thursday in hopes of winning the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.Ill leave no town unturned in Minnesota, Lindell told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of a news conference set for Thursday.He said he has a record of solving problems and personal experiences that will help businesses and fight addiction and homelessness as well as fraud in government programs. The fraud issue has particularly dogged Walz, who announced in September that hes seeking a third term in the 2026 election. A TV pitchman and election denierLindell, 64, founded his pillow company in Minnesota in 2009 and became its public face through infomercials that became ubiquitous on late-night television. But he and his company faced a string of legal and financial setbacks after he became a leading amplifier of Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. He said he has overcome them.Not only have I built businesses, you look at problem solution, Lindell said in his trademark rapid-fire style. I was able to make it through the biggest attack on a company, and a person, probably other than Donald Trump, in the history of our media ... lawfare and everything.While no Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, the states voters have a history of making unconventional choices. They shocked the world by electing former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura as governor in 1998. And they picked a veteran TV pitchman in 1978 when they elected home improvement company owner Rudy Boschwitz as a U.S. senator. Lindell has frequently talked about how he overcame a crack cocaine addiction with a religious conversion in 2009 as MyPillow was getting going. His life took another turn in 2016 when he met the future president during Trumps first campaign. He served as a warm-up speaker at dozens of Trump rallies and co-chaired Trumps campaign in Minnesota. Trumps endorsement could be the key to which of several candidates wins the GOP nomination to challenge Walz. But Lindell said he doesnt know what Trump will do, even though theyre friends, and said his campaign isnt contingent on the presidents support.His Lindell TV streaming platform was in the news in November when it became one of several conservative news outlets that became credentialed to cover the Pentagon after agreeing to a restrictive new press policy rejected by virtually all legacy media organizations. Lindell has weathered a series of stormsLindells outspoken support for Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen triggered a backlash as major retailers discontinued MyPillow products. By his own admission, revenue slumped and lines of credit dried up, costing him millions. Several vendors sued MyPillow over billing disputes. Fox News stopped running his commercials. Lawyers quit on him.Lindell has been sued twice for defamation over his claims that voting machines were manipulated to deprive Trump of a victory.A federal judge in Minnesota ruled in September that Lindell defamed Smartmatic with 51 false statements. But the judge deferred the question of whether Lindell acted with the actual malice that Smartmatic must prove to collect. Smartmatic says its seeking nine-figure damages.A Colorado jury in June found that Lindell defamed a former Dominion Voting Systems executive by calling him a traitor, and awarded $2.3 million in damages.But Lindell won a victory in July when a federal appeals court overturned a judges decision that affirmed a $5 million arbitration award to a software engineer who disputed data that Lindell claimed proved Chinese interference in the 2020 election. The engineer had accepted Lindells Prove Mike Wrong Challenge, which he launched as part of his 2021 Cyber Symposium in South Dakota, where he promised to expose election fraud. The campaign aheadLindell said his crusade against electronic voting machines will just be part of his platform. While Minnesota uses paper ballots, it also uses electronic tabulators to count them. Lindell wants them hand-counted, even though many election officials say machine counting is more accurate.Some Republicans in the race include Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring; Dr. Scott Jensen, a former state senator from Chaska who was the partys 2022 candidate; state Rep. Kristin Robbins, of Maple Grove; defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor Chris Madel; and former executive Kendall Qualls.These guys havent lived what I live, Lindell said.Lindell wouldnt commit to abiding by the Minnesota GOP endorsement and forgoing the primary if he loses it, expressing confidence that hell win. He also said hell rely on his supporters to finance his campaign because his own finances are drained. I dont have the money, he acknowledged. But he added that ever since word got out last week that he had filed the paperwork to run, Ive had thousands upon thousands of people text and call, saying from all around the country ... Hey, Ill donate. STEVE KARNOWSKI Karnowski covers politics and government from Minnesota for The Associated Press. He also covers the ongoing fallout from the murder of George Floyd, courts and the environment, among other topics. twitter mailto