Mike Lindell to Fund Hand Recount Following Minnesota GOP Primary Loss

Mike Lindell, the founder of MyPillow, announced on August 18, 2026, that he will personally finance a hand recount and audit of all paper ballots from the Minnesota Republican primary for governor, where he finished second to House Speaker Lisa Demuth. The estimated cost of the recount is $825,000. Lindell stated that Minnesota law allows candidates to request a full hand count of ballots regardless of the margin of loss. He lost the primary by approximately 11 percentage points, which exceeds the 0.25% margin that would qualify for a state-funded recount. According to Minnesota law, losing candidates must request a discretionary recount and provide the necessary funds within five days after the primary election canvass. Secretary of State General Counsel Lauren Bethke confirmed the cost estimate in a letter to Lindell, who must submit an official recount request and payment by August 24. The Secretary of State's office has prepared a plan for conducting the recount, which would be overseen by Paul Linnell, the Director of Elections, and would be open to the public and media. There have been no official findings of fraud in the primary results, although Lindell has previously raised concerns about anomalies without providing evidence. Demuth is set to compete against Senator Amy Klobuchar in the general election on November 3.