Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow and supporter of former President Donald Trump, announced his intention to finance a full recount in the Minnesota GOP primary for governor, where he lost by 11 percentage points to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth on August 11. In a phone call with NBC News, Lindell stated that he has hired a team to investigate the primary results and has contacted the Minnesota secretary of state’s office for a cost estimate for the recount, which is projected to be around $825,000. He anticipates the total expenses could exceed $1 million due to additional investigative efforts.
The Minnesota secretary of state’s office confirmed that it has not yet received an official recount request from Lindell. According to a letter from the office's general counsel, Lauren Bethke, Lindell must submit a recount request along with a bond or cash to cover the estimated costs by Monday to proceed. Lindell plans to deliver the request in person and is coordinating with the office regarding the recount locations.
In a news release, Lindell claimed his team identified several irregularities in the election data, attributing these to the use of electronic voting machines. He expressed that even if the recount does not change the election outcome, it could lead to the elimination of electronic voting machines. Lindell has faced legal challenges related to his claims about the 2020 election, including a defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic USA Corp., which resulted in a federal judge ordering him to pay $56,369. Lindell has indicated he does not intend to pay the court fees and is seeking to challenge the ruling based on newly available evidence.