Mike Lindell Withholds Payment for Minnesota Governor Primary Recount

Mike Lindell is delaying the payment needed for a ballot recount and audit in the Minnesota Republican primary for governor. He claims the Secretary of State’s office proposed an unlawful recount process. His campaign released a statement on this matter.

The MyPillow founder finished second to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth in the race. Lindell had announced he would personally fund the recount. However, the deadline set by Secretary of State General Counsel Lauren Bethke on Monday has passed without payment.

Lindell’s team stated the $825,000 payment was prepared but withheld due to disagreements on the recount’s scope. The campaign opposes recounting only the votes for Lindell and Demuth, excluding other candidates’ votes. The campaign argues this approach violates Minnesota law, which describes a recount as determining all votes for the office in question.

The actions taken by the Secretary of State put Mike Lindell in an untenable position, Lindell’s campaign stated.

They have requested the state to delay the payment deadline until a court decision is made on the recount parameters proposed by election officials.

Cassondra Knudson, spokesperson for Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, responded that the recount plan was provided to Lindell after approval by the State Canvassing Board on August 18. She emphasized that the plan complies with state law and is a standard procedure.

Paul Linnell, director of elections, would oversee the recount as the state recount official, appointing deputies to manage counts across Minnesota. The process would be open to public observation. To date, no fraud or irregularity has been confirmed in the Minnesota primary results.

Lindell, on primary night, stated he would not concede without reviewing every vote due to observed “anomalies,” yet provided no evidence then.

Minnesota law requires a losing candidate to request and fund a recount within five days after the primary canvass. In the primary, Demuth received 179,683 votes; Lindell received 134,282 votes.

The Republican nominee will compete against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar on November 3, aiming to replace retiring Governor Tim Walz.