Dispute Over Recount Payment in Minnesota GOP Primary

Mike Lindell, known for founding MyPillow, has decided to hold back payment needed for a recount and audit of votes in the Republican primary for Minnesota governor. Lindell’s campaign claims that the recount process suggested by the Secretary of State’s office is illegal.

Lindell finished second, behind Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, according to the current results. He originally stated on Wednesday that he would fund the recount himself. The Secretary of State General Counsel, Lauren Bethke, had set a deadline for Lindell to file the request by Monday.

The campaign mentioned that the $825,000 needed for the recount was ready. However, they haven’t submitted it due to disagreements over the intended scope of the recount. State officials plan to recount only the votes cast for Lindell and Demuth, ignoring votes for other candidates.

The actions taken by the Secretary of State put Mike Lindell in an untenable position,” Lindell’s campaign stated.

The campaign claims the recount would breach Minnesota law, pointing to a statute defining a recount as determining the number of valid votes for the office or issue examined. Lindell seeks a delay in the payment deadline until the courts can decide on the recount parameters suggested by election officials.

Cassondra Knudson, spokesperson for Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, noted, “Our office provided the contingent recount plan to Mr. Lindell after it was approved by the State Canvassing Board on August 18. The plan follows state law and administrative rules on recount procedures and aligns with similar plans over the past twenty years.”

Last week, the state agency unveiled a backup plan for a statewide manual recount if requested. The documents indicate that Paul Linnell, director of elections, would act as the state recount official and appoint deputy officials to oversee counting at different sites. The recount would be open to the public and media.

To date, there are no official reports of fraud or irregularities in the Minnesota primary. Lindell, on the night of the primary on August 11, indicated he would not concede without a full vote count, stating his team identified anomalies but provided no proof.

Minnesota law requires that a losing candidate must request a discretionary recount, along with necessary funds, within five days of the primary’s canvass. Election officials recorded 179,683 votes for Demuth and 134,282 for Lindell. The Republican contender will compete against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the November 3 general election to replace retiring Governor Tim Walz.