Former MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has stated he is willing to pay more than $1 million to fund a hand recount of the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary ballots, despite a decisive 11-point loss. Lindell, a vocal proponent of unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, lost to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth last week and has refused to concede.
Lindell's campaign stated that he believes the recount and audit could be a pathway to eliminating electronic voting machines. His loss did not meet the threshold for an automatic, state-funded recount, which requires a margin of 0.25% or less. Lindell must now submit a formal request for the recount to the Minnesota secretary of state’s office. He told NBC News that he intends to personally deliver the request.
Lindell has already assembled a team to investigate the election results. He was informed that a full hand recount would cost approximately $825,000, but anticipates the total expenditure will exceed $1 million due to additional costs.
Lindell has been a prominent figure in conservative circles for promoting debunked conspiracy theories regarding the 2020 presidential election. In 2025, he settled a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over his election fraud claims. Additionally, a Colorado jury awarded a former Dominion employee $2.3 million in a defamation case against Lindell.