President Donald Trump backed the “Pillow Man” as his pick to replace “one of the worst and most incompetent governors in the history of the U.S.A.” Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) planned to run for a third term but pulled his reelection bid as controversy swirled over fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community, prompting Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to run.

Despite having Trump’s favor, Lindell’s campaign has faced resistance from Minnesota’s Republican establishment. The Minnesota GOP argues that Lindell is not best positioned to defeat Klobuchar in the general election.

“We were surprised by President Trump’s endorsement of Mike Lindell,” state GOP Chairman Alex Plechash said in a statement soon after Trump’s July announcement. “We strongly support the President and his agenda, but Minnesota Republicans must choose the candidate best positioned to defeat Amy Klobuchar.”

Instead of Lindell, the party has elevated its own candidate: healthcare executive and Army veteran Kendall Qualls. The political outsider edged out state House Speaker Lisa Demuth after a marathon poll at the party’s Duluth convention in May. Lindell backed Qualls after it became clear that he didn’t have enough votes.

“Now these delegates were not big Donald Trump fans, a lot of them, and they were establishment,” Lindell said. “So anyway, they all had Lisa Demuth, and they picked her basically. She’s got this big lead in the next round over Kendall Qualls, and I said, ‘You know what? I’m sick of these establishments.’ So I pointed to his side, and in the next round, everybody voted for Kendall.”

Qualls won the party’s endorsement on the 10th ballot with 60.4% of the vote compared to Demuth’s 37.2%. Yet a recent poll placed the two candidates in the opposite order — and both behind Lindell. Lindell led the crop of Republicans with 35% support compared to Demuth’s 26%. Qualls was a distant third with 11%.

“The Minnesota GOP needs to be completely revamped,” Lindell said. “It’s dysfunctional, the most dysfunctional GOP I’ve seen in the whole country.”

Lindell has worked to fend off attacks from both sides throughout his campaign.

Democratic state senate candidate Dan Fiskum filed a complaint against Lindell in Minnesota court late last month. Fiskum says Lindell violated campaign finance law by distributing pillows with “Mike Lindell for Governor” packaging at a Fourth of July parade in Delano, Minnesota. He argues the pillows are worth around $35, more than the $5 gifts allowed under the law.

Lindell responded that his campaign had “dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s, and our lawyers have approved everything.” He said his campaign had cleared the pillows with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board because their wholesale value was below $5.

“So I just think it’s a string of attacks, and it’s going all the way back to when I announced I was running for governor,” Lindell said during a hearing earlier this week. “And I think the plaintiffs are at the tip of the spear on these attacks.”

An administrative judge found probable cause for the complaint to move forward on Thursday. A panel of three judges will hear the case, though that will not happen before Tuesday’s primary election.

Critics have also argued that Lindell was not, until recently, a registered Minnesota voter.

The Minnesota Star Tribune ran a story last month finding that Lindell was not registered to vote in his home state. Lindell, a lifelong Minnesota resident, moved to Texas in 2024 after marrying his current wife, Kendra.

Though Lindell returned to Minnesota to launch his campaign, the Star Tribune found that he was still registered to vote in Texas as of July. The Minnesota secretary of state’s office told the paper that Lindell “does not have an active record” in the state.

Lindell said he should have been automatically registered to vote when he applied for his new Minnesota driver’s license. He provided the Washington Examiner with a copy of a temporary license issued in September 2025.

READ IN FULL: MIKE LINDELL’S AMNESTY PROPOSAL

“They do not take it off the state that you move from, and that’s not the person’s responsibility,” Lindell said, referring to his Texas registration. “That is these computers that are used in our elections that need to be taken out of our country for good.”

Minnesota residents must provide proof of citizenship to qualify for the state’s “automatic” voter registration when applying for a driver’s license. Lindell told the Star Tribune that he handed over his passport at the DMV. State records now indicate that Lindell is a registered Minnesota voter as of late last month.

Lindell recently stepped down from the top role at MyPillow to focus on the gubernatorial race.

“After 22 years of leading MyPillow, I know the company is ready for its next chapter and I know Minnesota cannot wait,” Lindell said in a press release last week. “This decision is not about walking away. It is about stepping forward to serve.”

Though the GOP nomination remains undecided, Lindell has already begun taking shots at Klobuchar.

Lindell said he has had brief interactions with “Angry Amy,” whose booth at the Minnesota State Fair was across from his.

“She’d come there the first day, and her and I would say hello,” Lindell said. “But you know, she’s a very angry person. That’s what I hear about her. I don’t know her that well.”

MIKE LINDELL URGED TO WITHDRAW ‘ABSURD’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AMNESTY PROPOSAL

Lindell said it depends on whether he would call Klobuchar to concede if he advances to the general election and loses in November.

“I’m not going to concede a fraudulent election,” Lindell said. “I will concede and congratulate her on a righteous, secure election.”