Photo: Alamy
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is officially running for governor in Minnesota.
“I’m officially running for Governor of Minnesota,” Lindell said in a campaign video statement posted Thursday to X. “After prayerful consideration and hearing from so many of you across our great state, I’ve made the decision to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race. I’m still standing and I’ll stand for you.”
In his speech, the Republican businessman pledged to stand for Minnesotans against the “rampant fraud” under the state’s incumbent Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, while also addressing crime, high taxes and regulations.
Lindell further vowed to help those struggling with addiction and fix the state’s struggling education system.
“I want to be a leader, not a politician,” he added. “I want to solve problems, not create problems.”
Lindell, who has touted his success as someone once struggling with a cocaine addiction to a successful businessman born again into Christianity, has been one of President Donald Trump’s most ardent campaign supporters, speaking at numerous rallies and to conservative media.
In his announcement, he also noted that political opponents attempted to silence him and destroy his company after he spoke out about the 2020 presidential election being purportedly stolen.
“Well, it didn’t work. I’m still standing. MyPillow is still standing,” he said. “And now I want you to know that I will stand for you as governor of the state of Minnesota.”
Lindell is seeking the state’s 2026 Republican nomination against a crowded field of primary candidates, including former state Sen. Scott Jensen, the 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee.
If he prevails in the primary, Lindell will likely face off against Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, who is seeking a third term as governor.
Although unsuccessful, Walz also served as Kamala Harris’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
No Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, per the Associated Press. However, the state’s voters have elected unconventional candidates in the past.
In 1998, Minnesota elected former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura as governor. They also elected the one-time Saturday Night Live cast member and now-disgraced Democrat Sen. Al Franken, and the TV pitchman and home-improvement company owner Republican Rudy Boschwitz, to the U.S. Senate.
