MyPillow founder Mike Lindell has withheld a $825,000 payment required to initiate a recount in Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary, citing a dispute over the scope of the recount process.
On Monday, Lindell’s campaign announced it would not submit the payment by the state’s deadline, arguing that Minnesota election officials had altered the recount plan in violation of state law. The campaign stated that the Secretary of State’s office initially indicated the recount would cover all votes cast in the Republican primary, but later restricted it to only votes for Lindell and Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, the top two candidates in the race.
Lindell’s campaign asserted that the revised plan violates Minnesota Statute 204C.19, which defines a recount as determining “the number of votes validly cast for the office or question to be recounted.” The campaign called the state’s actions a “bait and switch” and accused officials of placing Lindell in an “untenable position.”
State officials have defended the recount plan, stating it was approved by the State Canvassing Board on August 18 and aligns with two decades of standard recount procedures. Cassondra Knudson, a spokesperson for Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, confirmed that the contingent recount plan was provided to Lindell’s team after its approval. Knudson emphasized that the plan follows state law and administrative rules.
The dispute centers on whether the recount should include all Republican primary ballots or only those cast for the top two candidates. Lindell’s campaign has requested that the state waive the payment deadline until a court can rule on the recount parameters. As of now, no legal action has been filed, and the state has not indicated whether it will grant an extension.
The Minnesota Republican primary saw Lindell finish second to Demuth, with the final results certified on August 18. The recount, if approved, would mark one of the largest in state history, costing an estimated $825,000 to conduct. Lindell had previously committed to personally funding the effort, but the payment remains on hold pending resolution of the dispute.