Mike Lindell is no longer merely the most famous Republican running for governor of Minnesota. The MyPillow founder is beginning to pull away from the pack.
A new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll found Lindell leading the Republican primary with 35 percent support—an eight-point jump since June and a nine-point advantage over his closest rival.
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth climbed four points to 26 percent, while Kendall Qualls, who secured the state Republican Party’s endorsement in May, fell six points to 11 percent.
The survey of 478 Republican voters was conducted from July 15 through July 20 and carried a margin of error of plus or minus 5.4 percentage points.
Lindell’s gains stretched across several important voting blocs. According to KSTP-TV, his support among Republican women climbed nine points, while his backing among voters 65 and older surged by 17 points.
The latest results mark a clear acceleration for Lindell. A June KSTP/SurveyUSA survey placed him at 27 percent, followed by Demuth at 22 percent and Qualls at 17 percent.
At the time, Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier said Lindell’s national profile would make him competitive but warned that he would need additional money to preserve his advantage.
Instead, Lindell has widened his lead just weeks before the Aug. 11 primary—and he is doing it despite the state party establishment lining up behind someone else.
Qualls secured the Minnesota Republican Party endorsement after a chaotic 10-ballot convention marked by lengthy delays and problems with its electronic voting system. But that endorsement has not translated into momentum among the broader Republican electorate.
Lindell received another, far more powerful endorsement on the first day of the new poll’s surveying period: President Donald Trump’s.
Trump threw his “complete and total endorsement” behind his longtime ally in a July 15 Truth Social post, calling Lindell “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots.” (RELATED: Trump Endorses Mike Lindell In Minnesota Governor’s Race)
“Mike will be SPECTACULAR!!!” Trump wrote, adding that Lindell would “MAKE MINNESOTA GREAT AGAIN.”
Lindell welcomed the endorsement and made it clear that his campaign was not a publicity exercise.
“I wanted everyone in Minnesota to know I’m serious,” Lindell told KSTP-TV. “I’m running this campaign. I’m 100% all in.”
The primary winner is expected to face Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November for the seat being vacated by Gov. Tim Walz.
Walz abandoned his bid for a third term in January as Minnesota faced mounting scrutiny over fraud involving government-funded social-service programs. In his withdrawal statement, Walz acknowledged that the state had a serious problem and declared that “the buck stops with me,” while insisting his administration was taking action.
Fraud and government accountability have since become central issues in the race. Lindell has proposed halting payments to providers flagged as high-risk, expanding audits and data analysis, strengthening protections for whistleblowers and cooperating with federal investigators.
Republican voters now appear increasingly willing to entrust that fight to the outspoken businessman.
Early voting for Minnesota’s primary began June 26, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office. With less than three weeks remaining before Election Day, Lindell has transformed his celebrity and close relationship with Trump into a commanding—though not yet insurmountable—lead.
