MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has filed preliminary paperwork to run for governor in Minnesota, setting the stage for a potential Republican challenge against incumbent Democrat Tim Walz. Lindell, a staunch conservative and close ally of President Donald Trump, stated that he plans to make a final announcement on December 11 regarding his candidacy, noting he is not yet 100% committed to running. The bid would place him in a primary contest against a growing field of Republican hopefuls before a general election challenge to Governor Walz.
Lindell’s potential entry comes as Governor Walz faces intense scrutiny. Over 400 individuals in the Minnesota Department of Health and Human Service Employees (DHS) released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) accusing Walz of being “100% responsible” for “massive fraud in Minnesota.” The group claims to have alerted the Governor to the fraud in its early stages but alleges he retaliated against whistleblowers. The fraud allegations have prompted a formal investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Federal prosecutors have charged dozens of individuals in connection with stealing over $240 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which has been labeled the largest pandemic fraud case in the nation. Furthermore, other groups are accused of defrauding the state’s housing stabilization program of more than $104 million and stealing $14 million through false autism treatment claims. Walz’s administration has been heavily criticized for alleged lax oversight of these programs.
Lindell would have to secure the Republican nomination against a list of declared and potential candidates, including Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, 2022 nominee Scott Jensen, state Rep. Kristin Robbins, businessman Kendall Qualls, and attorney Chris Madel. Lindell claimed that his internal polling showed that he would be the strongest Republican candidate against the incumbent, stating, “If there was someone to win, it would be me.”
In addition to the fraud scandal, Governor Walz’s administration is being targeted by the Trump administration over transportation issues. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has threatened to withhold $30.4 million in federal funding from Minnesota if the state does not address compliance issues in its commercial driver’s license program and revoke licenses that were not properly issued, a crackdown Duffy said targets “illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel.” Lindell’s past experiences, including being blacklisted from social media for supposedly violating “civic integrity policy,” align him closely with the MAGA movement’s narrative of political censorship.