Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Lindell GOP Primary Recount Petition

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Saturday, August 29, 2026, denied a petition from Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Lindell for a full recount of the state's GOP primary election, effectively ending his legal challenge to the results. The ruling solidifies House Speaker Lisa Demuth's victory and clears the path for the November general election. Lindell, the founder of MyPillow, lost the August 11 primary to Demuth by 45,401 votes, a margin of roughly 11 percentage points. Following the loss, he alleged anomalies in the election data and sought a manual recount of all 1.1 million ballots cast. However, under Minnesota law, because his margin of defeat exceeded the 0.25 percent threshold for a publicly funded recount, he was required to pay for the process himself. The Secretary of State's office estimated the cost at approximately $825,000. Lindell initially indicated he would pay but withheld the funds by the August 24 deadline. He objected to the recount plan approved by the State Canvassing Board on August 18, which would have sorted Republican ballots into three piles: one for Lindell, one for Demuth, and one for all other candidates.