Trump-Backed Mike Lindell Loses Minnesota Governor Primary, Alleges Fraud

The Associated Press called Minnesota's Republican gubernatorial primary for state House Speaker Lisa Demuth late on Aug. 11, with Demuth leading MyPillow founder Mike Lindell roughly 43% to 33% with about 265,000 votes still uncounted at the time of the call. President Trump had endorsed Lindell — a prominent promoter of false 2020 election-fraud claims — days before the vote, while the state Republican Party had separately endorsed a third candidate, Kendall Qualls, at its convention. Lindell has refused to concede, alleging without providing evidence that the vote totals contain "irregularities."

The loss is a rebuke of Trump's endorsement in a state he has never won as a presidential candidate, and places a candidate who has spread unsubstantiated fraud claims in the position of contesting his own primary defeat. Demuth advances to face Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November.

Vote counting was continuing as of this report, and Lindell had not filed any formal legal challenge to the result.