The primary became a proxy fight for political influence between President Donald Trump and the Minnesota Republican Party as it took shape over the summer.

Trump endorsed Lindell, who was an ally in his campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election, last month. Trump hailed the “Pillow Man” as the best pick to replace Walz, one of his political nemeses.

“He truly loves Minnesota, as do I, and wants to bring it back from oblivion and embarrassment,” the president said of Lindell in a July 15 Truth Social post. “He can do it! Nobody has sacrificed more than Mike Lindell in fighting for our country, especially when it comes to Election Integrity.”

The Minnesota Republican Party quickly expressed its wariness of Trump’s bullish stance on Lindell. Party Chairman Alex Plechash released a statement on the day of Trump’s endorsement, warning that Republicans must nominate “the candidate best positioned to defeat Amy Klobuchar.”

“These are serious times, and they demand serious, disciplined leadership,” Plechash continued. “Minnesota needs a governor who can unite Republicans, earn the support of independent voters, and defeat Amy Klobuchar.”

Instead of Lindell, the party backed healthcare executive and Army veteran Kendall Qualls. That choice was surprising given that Qualls, a perennial candidate, had never proven himself politically.

Yet Qualls won an internal poll at the party’s Duluth convention in May. He pulled ahead on the 10th ballot in a marathon contest between himself, Lindell, and Demuth. Lindell told the Washington Examiner that, without enough support to push his own name over the finish line, he decided to back Qualls as an anti-establishment pick.

In elevating Qualls, the Minnesota GOP passed over Demuth’s institutional record. It also signaled the party’s unwillingness to nominate Lindell, whom many feared would be a hard sell to Minnesota voters in November.

Lindell and Demuth consistently polled ahead of Qualls among Republican voters, though most recent surveys had Lindell beating Demuth in the weeks leading up to the primary.

Lindell’s loss is a dent to Trump’s coveted endorsement. The president has been a kingmaker in Republican politics since his meteoric 2016 rise, though recent primary losses called his continued influence into question.

Trump’s decision to back Lindell’s controversial candidacy was a sign of his own confidence in his political power.

Lindell founded bedding manufacturer MyPillow in 2004 after a decades-long cocaine addiction. Now a born-again Christian, Lindell says the idea for a pillow made of interlocking foam chunks came to him in a dream.

Lindell has also made a name for himself in recent years through his tirades against alleged fraud and interference in American elections.

Voting machine manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems settled its $1.3 billion lawsuit against Lindell, though he lost a separate $2.3 million defamation verdict to former Dominion executive Eric Coomer. He was also found liable for defaming Dominion competitor Smartmatic, where damages are still pending.

Lindell’s crusade against alleged election fraud prompted him to start a media venture of his own to remedy what he sees as biases in legacy outlets.

TRUMP TURNS MINNESOTA’S GOP GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY INTO PILLOW FIGHT WITH MIKE LINDELL ENDORSEMENT

“That’s why I formed Lindell TV because, in spite of all you guys out there, you know, at LindellTV.com, we’re the only outlet now at the Pentagon, the White House, and Capitol every day because Fox and everybody else got kicked out of the Pentagon because they couldn’t do normal reporting,” Lindell told the Washington Examiner last month.

Lindell appeared on his newscast, as well as on other right-wing programs such as Steve Bannon’s War Room, throughout the campaign. He recently stepped down from his position at the helm of MyPillow to focus on the gubernatorial race.