Mike Lindell Refuses to Pay for Recount in Minnesota Republican Primary: Payment Dispute and Legal Challenges
Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and runner-up in the Minnesota Republican primary for governor, is refusing to pay for a recount and audit of the ballots. Lindell's campaign claims that the Secretary of State's proposed recount process is unlawful, leading to a payment dispute. The campaign had the $825,000 ready for the recount but did not submit it due to disagreements over the scope of the recount, which only includes votes for Lindell and his opponent, Lisa Demuth, excluding other candidates in the race.
Lindell's campaign argues that the planned recount violates Minnesota law, which defines a recount as determining the valid votes cast for the office in question. They are requesting a waiver of the payment deadline until a court can rule on the recount parameters proposed by election officials. The Secretary of State's office maintains that their recount plan follows state law and administrative rules, consistent with past practices.
The state agency had released a contingency plan for a statewide hand recount if requested, with specific procedures and officials designated to oversee the process. Despite Lindell's claims of anomalies and the need to review every vote, there have been no official findings of fraud or irregularities in the primary results. Minnesota law requires an apparent losing candidate to request a recount within five days of the primary canvass and provide funds to cover the recount costs.
In the primary, Demuth received 179,683 votes, while Lindell garnered 134,282 votes. The Republican nominee will face Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar in the general election to succeed Gov. Tim Walz, who is retiring. The outcome of the recount dispute will determine the final candidate for the gubernatorial race.