Juror finds Mike Lindell guilty of defaming former Dominion employee
A federal jury in Colorado found MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed a former Dominion Voting Systems employee after the 2020 presidential election.
Scripps News – KMGH Denver
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, is considering jumping into the Minnesota gubernatorial race.
Lindell’s campaign committee filed documents with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Disclosure Commission on Wednesday, Dec. 3, indicating that Lindell may run as a Republican candidate.
Meanwhile, Lindell said in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio that he has not yet made an official declaration.
“Ninety-eight percent of the time they will,” Lindell told the magazine. Lindell did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
Lindell, 64, will join 12 other Republicans who have already announced their bids for governor, including Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and state Rep. Kristin Robbins. Incumbent Democratic Governor Tim Walz has announced that he will run for a third term.
Rick Wieble, Lindell’s campaign chairman, told the USA TODAY Network’s St. Cloud Times on Dec. 3 that he filed Lindell’s paperwork ahead of the Dec. 13 state Republican Party Central Committee meeting in case Lindell wanted to speak at the event.
Weeble said the measure would give Lindell more freedom and not have to worry about whether he would comply with running for governor.
“If you start a committee, for example, it’s very easy to get out of compliance quickly,” Weeble said. “Let’s say you get something signed and someone gives you money, like $1,000, and you basically have a limited amount of time to get a committee up and running.”
Weeble added that it’s better to register “before any major announcements are made.”
The campaign chair also said that the deadline Lindell declares is entirely up to him, but that he could easily shut down the committee if he decides not to run.
“As we all know, Mike Lindell is very animated and excited and is able to make quick decisions to get into races,” Wieble said.
Democrats quickly respond to Lindell’s possibility of running for governor
Democrats were quick to respond to Governor Lindell’s intentions.
“Mike Lindell is the latest extreme and unconventional candidate to jump into a race to the far right that is becoming more chaotic and dangerous by the day,” Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Izzy Levy said in a written statement provided to the USA TODAY Network. “His entry into the race is a bitter pill for Minnesota Republicans.”
Lindell still has legal issues despite potentially running for governor
The 64-year-old businessman is a staunch Trump supporter who gained national attention not only for his quirky TV ads promoting pillows, but also for his claims of fraud following the 2020 presidential election. Multiple recounts, investigations, and audits confirmed the legitimacy of the election results.
Lindell has also been sued several times over claims of election fraud, including a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems in 2021.
Lindell must also pay $5 million to a software engineer who was able to debunk data that Lindell claimed proved China interfered in the 2020 election, a federal judge ruled in 2024.
Additionally, in December 2024, a Minnesota judge ordered MyPillow to pay global shipping service DHL approximately $778,000 in unpaid invoices and legal fees. Rival shipping company FedEx sued MyPillow in March for failing to pay more than $9 million in shipping fees, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
Meanwhile, Lindell continues to claim that he is out of money due to repeated legal battles.
“I’m devastated,” Lindell told U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on April 16, according to ABC News.
Voting machine company Smartmatic in March asked Nichols to hold Lindell in contempt, alleging that Lindell had avoided paying a court-ordered $56,369 fine against Smartmatic to cover legal costs, which the complaint called “Lindell’s frivolous claims.”
