$167.2K
AUG 12, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Current roleBusinessman
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyTrump-aligned Republican
Age64 years old (Jun 28, 1961)
GenderMale
LocationMinnesota
BackgroundBusinessman
EducationUniversity of Minnesota (attended)
Notable personal detailsMichael James Lindell is an American businessman and political activist best known as the founder and CEO of MyPillow. He attended the University of Minnesota but left after a short period. In December 2025, he announced he would seek the Republican nomination for Governor of Minnesota in the 2026 election cycle.
The candidate supports cutting taxes and fees, opposing higher taxes and ‘‘exploding’’ property taxes, and reducing regulations that he says hurt businesses. He frames government fraud and waste as driving up costs for families and calls for rolling back policies he views as burdensome to entrepreneurs.
The candidate emphasizes addiction treatment and recovery programs (through the Lindell Recovery Network) and pledges to address addiction and public safety as part of his platform, but provides no clear stated position on broader health‑care policy such as the Affordable Care Act, Medicare/Medicaid expansion, or a public option.
The candidate advocates for strict enforcement and removal of unauthorized immigrants and has promoted strong restrictionist views on immigration, including support for deportations and criticism of asylum/immigrant access tied to alleged fraud. Public statements link immigration to fraud in state programs and call for aggressive government transparency and enforcement actions.
The candidate opposes abortion and has publicly funded and promoted anti-abortion efforts; he has criticized Planned Parenthood and described abortion providers in negative terms. His public activities and statements align with pro-restriction positions on reproductive rights rather than supporting expanded access.
Has publicly rejected the mainstream scientific consensus on climate change and has described climate change as a “hoax.”
The candidate emphasizes addressing public safety by supporting law enforcement and cracking down on crime; his campaign platform lists addiction and public safety programs alongside explicit support for law enforcement. The campaign platform does not provide detailed positions on specific firearms policies (for example, background checks, assault weapons, or red flag laws).
Lindell’s nomination price has jumped to 30% as convention-week coverage keeps him in the top tier with Lisa Demuth and Kendall Qualls. That leaves him a live alternative if GOP delegates fail to consolidate around Demuth at the convention.
Lindell’s contract has climbed to 30% as convention-week coverage keeps him in the top tier with Lisa Demuth and Kendall Qualls. That keeps him a live alternative if delegates fail to lock in a clear frontrunner at the GOP convention.
Lindell’s contract has climbed to 26% while fresh convention-week reporting keeps him framed as a live challenger to Lisa Demuth, making him the main alternative if delegates don’t settle on Demuth this weekend.
Mike Lindell is in the news for his Minnesota Republican governor campaign, with recent reports showing mixed polling: one says he leads the GOP field by 22 points, while another says he trails Lisa Demuth in the primary. He has also said Minnesota Republicans excluded him from a debate and endorsement event, which he framed as evidence the party establishment is against him. The race is still unfolding ahead of the August primary.
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
