My Pillow founder Mike Lindell is refusing to concede in Minnesota's Republican gubernatorial primary, alleging irregularities in the vote totals.
The businessman, who is backed by President Trump, lost to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R) by roughly 11 percentage points and over 45,000 votes, according to Decision Desk HQ.
When asked by a reporter on his live network, LindellTV, about whether he would concede the race if The Associated Press called it for his opponent, the GOP candidate responded, "Why would I listen to the AP?"
"There's 265,000 votes left to count. I'm down by 18,000 now," he continued. "I'm not going to give up this race until the votes are counted. That's nonsense."
Lindell, who stepped down as My Pillow CEO to focus on his campaign, has a history of casting doubt on election results, and has been a leading supporter of Trump's unsubstantiated claim that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen."
Trump delivered a last-minute boost to the businessman's campaign in a Tuesday message urging Minnesota Republican voters to support Lindell at the polls.
"Mike Lindell deserves a BIG WIN IN MINNESOTA today," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Nobody has worked harder, and given up so much, in fighting for free and fair Elections."
Go out, NOW, and VOTE for Mike Lindell for Governor," the president continued, adding that he "will not let you down."
Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.) mocked Lindell's denial of his loss to DeMuth in a social media post.
"Many people say Venezuela rigged the election against Mike Lindell because they don't like his pillows. Never seen anything like it," the California lawmaker wrote on social platform X.
Demuth will now face Democratic nominee Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) this fall in the race to replace Minnesota's retiring Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
The state Republican lawmaker called her win a "major milestone" but noted that her campaign was "not done yet" in a statement shared on social media just after midnight on Wednesday.
"Tonight, Minnesotans made it clear they are ready for real change — at the top," DeMuth wrote. "It's time to end the fraud, restore common sense to our state government and return Minnesota to a place that works for families, seniors, businesses and our next generation."
She added, "Let's go win in November!"
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.