MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell said he is running for governor of Minnesota and is holding a fundraiser at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort as he seeks support for his campaign.
Lindell said he plans to ban Sharia law if elected and claimed he is leading other Republican candidates in polling. “One of the first things I’ll do as governor is ban Sharia law,” Lindell said in a recording, which he described as filmed at Mar-a-Lago.
🚨 BIG NEWS: I’m polling #1 in the GOP race for Minnesota Governor!
— Mike Lindell (@realMikeLindell) February 5, 2026
With your help, we can beat Amy Klobuchar and save Minnesota! 👉 Go to https://t.co/8zZVI7H3qz to DONATE NOW!
– Mike Lindell
Candidate for Governor of Minnesota pic.twitter.com/KvxaYvpiEm
Lindell also said he could defeat Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has announced a campaign for governor. “I can and will beat Amy Klobuchar with your help,” he said, urging supporters to donate through his campaign website.
Please support my run for Minnesota Governor at https://t.co/8zZVI7GvB1 pic.twitter.com/Xr6brdRATl
— Mike Lindell (@realMikeLindell) February 7, 2026
On his campaign website, Lindell outlined a platform that includes restoring Minnesota’s original state flag, banning transgender girls from girls’ sports and restrooms, banning Sharia law, ending the in-person retail sales tax, and increasing oversight of education spending, according to a message addressed to caucus attendees posted by the campaign.
In the same statement, Lindell accused Democrats of fraud and waste in state government and said his campaign would prioritize election integrity and limiting voting to what he described as legal ballots, according to the campaign website.
Lindell launched his campaign on Dec. 11, 2025, and raised about $352,000 in individual donations over roughly two and a half weeks, according to data from the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board cited by the Minnesota Reformer.
More than half of that money was spent buying copies of Lindell’s autobiography, “What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO,” from his company, MyPillow, the outlet reported. The campaign listed the expense as “Advertising – general: Mike Lindell Books.”
Reached by phone by the Minnesota Reformer, Lindell said he distributes the books instead of campaign flyers. “When we’re going around to all the places in Minnesota, other people are giving a flyer. I’m giving them the whole book so they know who I am,” Lindell said.
Lindell has said he cannot self-fund his campaign. “Absolutely not. I can’t self-fund. I don’t have any money left,” he said at his campaign launch, according to the outlet.
He has said he spent millions defending his claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. In June, a federal jury found that Lindell defamed a former Dominion Voting Systems employee and ordered him to pay $2.3 million, pending appeal. In September, Smartmatic attorney Erik Connolly said they will be seeking “nine-figure damages” from Lindell and MyPillow for “spreading lies” about the company.
Lindell testified during the Dominion-related trial that he was $10 million in debt, the outlet reported.
In the video posted online, Lindell said his campaign has “national implications” and described conditions in Minneapolis and across Minnesota as “terrible,” without providing details.
Lindell said his campaign has raised “well over a million” dollars since the end of last year, though that claim cannot be verified until the next disclosure report is released.
In December, the campaign also spent nearly $26,000 on an “RV wrap,” which the outlet said was used to display Lindell’s image, name and campaign website on a recreational vehicle unveiled at his campaign launch.
