Minnesota’s 2022 governor’s race could have a familiar face in Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, but the prospect has some state Republicans worried.
“Mike, if you did it, I would get behind you,” Lindell said former President Donald Trump told him of a potential gubernatorial run.
Lindell said he also believes his full embrace of Trump’s politics will help him in his potential run.
“Of course it would help. Why wouldn’t it help? The guy was the best president in history,” Lindell said.
Lindell has moved from his famed infomercials into the political arena with his unwavering support for Trump, but his embrace of Trump’s claims of voter fraud have Republicans wondering if such a strong ally of the former president is the right fit for a state he lost twice.
“While Republicans have gained some seats in a patchwork across the state, winning statewide has been a much trickier puzzle for them to solve,” said Republican operative Michael Brodkorb. “It bends any political logic that Mike Lindell is going to be any key to helping Republicans solve that puzzle. He has done everything since the election to perpetuate what we now know are dangerous statements.”
“The Republican brand has become toxic in the eyes of too many young people, formerly supportive suburbanites, women and diverse voters,” said former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty. “We don’t need to guess how a general election campaign will go here for any candidate viewed mostly as a Trump proxy. Trump lost here twice and it wasn’t even close the second time.”
Trump, however, still has a strong base of support among Republicans in the state, leaving some party members lost for answers on how to best take on incumbent Gov. Tim Walz.
Lindell has admitted he never had much interest in politics until throwing his support behind Trump, estimating that he has now given over 60 speeches at rallies for Trump.
But he faces other challenges in the meantime, with retailers pulling his MyPillow products from shelves and Dominion Voting System threatening legal action over his claims that their machines were compromised and contributed to Trump’s election loss.
None of those challenges appear to dissuade Lindell as he considers his run, instead insisting that he welcomes such fights.
“You bring it on, Dominion, because I want everybody to see,” Lindell said.
