The Minnesota Supreme Court denied Mike Lindell’s bid for a full recount of the GOP gubernatorial primary, upholding the state's existing recount procedures.

The Minnesota Supreme Court rejected a request from MyPillow founder Mike Lindell to order a full recount of his August 11 loss in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Chief Justice Natalie E. Hudson ruled that the state’s recount plan follows legal requirements and that election officials have not committed any errors. Lindell, who lost the primary to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth by 45,000 votes, stated he plans to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dispute Over Recount Procedures

Lindell sued the Minnesota secretary of state’s office and the State Canvassing Board, alleging a "bait-and-switch" because the proposed recount did not include all seven candidates in the Republican field. He had previously pledged to pay $825,000 for a full hand recount but refused to meet the state's Monday deadline after learning the recount would focus only on ballots cast for him and Demuth. In her ruling, Chief Justice Hudson clarified that the recount process involves sorting ballots by party and then separating Republican ballots into piles for Lindell, Demuth, and other candidates. She noted that this method allows for the determination of a winner and ensures all ballots remain subject to challenge, stating that Lindell’s focus on alleged anomalies confuses a manual recount with an election contest.

Ongoing Legal and Financial Context

Lindell continues to challenge the election results, citing concerns over electronic voting machines. He stated he intends to request data from all 87 Minnesota counties under the Freedom of Information Act to conduct an independent investigation. The court's ruling confirms Lisa Demuth’s victory, securing her position as the Republican nominee in the general election against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Lindell faces separate legal challenges related to his claims about voting machines. He was found to have defamed a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems in June 2025 and has refused to pay $56,369 in court-ordered sanctions to Smartmatic USA Corp. Lindell has stated he does not intend to pay these fees or sanctions.