Former MyPillow CEO and Trump-endorsed candidate Mike Lindell is refusing to concede after losing the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday.
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According to The Hill, Lindell lost to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa DeMuth by approximately 11 percentage points and by more than 45,000 votes.
While speaking to a reporter on his live network, LindellTV, the former MyPillow CEO was asked if he would concede after The Associated Press confirmed that DeMuth won the primary election.
“Why would I listen to the AP?” he asked. “There’s 265,000 votes left to count. I’m down by 18,000 now. I’m not going to give up this race until the votes are counted. That’s nonsense.”
The Associated Press projected Demuth as the winner at 11:26 p.m. ET. She ended up securing 43.6% of the 93% of the votes already counted. Lindell ended up with 32.3% of the votes, while Kendall Qualls came in a distant third with 21.4%.
Lindell continues to refuse to accept the election results. Kirsten Swanson of KSTP TV also reported that he has alleged there were “irregularities” in the vote count.
He then stated that his team needs to “reconcile these numbers” before conceding the race. “If this is a chance to finally show that there’s problems with the computers in our election, so be i,” the businessman explained. “If I find nothing happened there and it was just a mathematical deviation of history that doesn’t make sense, I will let you all know tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar won the Democratic primary with 89.6% of the votes.
Lindell Stepped Down From MyPillow Days Before the Election
Days before the primary election, Lindell announced he had stepped down as CEO of MyPillow.
“After 22 years of leading MyPillow, I know the company is ready for its next chapter, and I know Minnesota cannot wait,” he explained. “This decision is not about walking away. It is about stepping forward to serve.”
Lindell continued by stating, “I am putting Minnesota above myself, my title, and my business interest so I can give this campaign and the people of our state my full time, energy, and attention.”
Lindell further noted that the “orderly transition reflects the same principles” he would bring to public office. He noted that this is to “build a strong team, protect Minnesota jobs, make difficult decisions, and remain accountable for results.”
“Real leadership means knowing when to lead, when to trust your team,” he pointed out. “And when to put a larger calling first.”
“My focus now is clear,” Lindell added. “Which is to listen to Minnesotans, earn their trust, and work every day to become a governor worthy of our state.”