A third GOP candidate who had Donald Trump’s endorsement just lost his primary race this week, which led some commentators to point out that Trump’s influence on the party is waning.
“Mike Lindell falling short in Minnesota is a HUGE embarrassment to Trump after his endorsement,” political strategist Mike Nellis said, discussing My Pillow CEO Lindell’s loss in the Republican primary for Minnesota governor this week. Lindell lost by over ten points to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R).
Related
“He looks more and more like a lame duck every single day.”
Your LGBTQ+ guide to Elections
Stay ahead of the election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), who was also endorsed by Trump, lost his primary last week, and Trump-backed Amir Hassan in Michigan – who said he got into politics when he saw a trans woman use the women’s restroom when his daughter also used that restroom – lost to a Republican who had already dropped out of the race.
Lindell got a lot of media attention after the 2020 election for his election denial, which involved outlandish claims of a massive conspiracy to steal the election on behalf of Joe Biden that somehow left no concrete evidence. He has no prior experience in elected office, and his pursuit of conspiracy theories was his best-known foray into politics.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that Lindell is refusing to concede despite being far behind in the vote count with 99% of results having been counted.
“I’m not going to give up this race until the votes are counted,” Lindell said. “That’s nonsense.”
Ron Filipkowski of MeidasTouch highlighted a video of Lindell “ranting and raving” that he won’t concede the race.
Lindell reached a settlement with Dominion Voting Systems last month in their defamation suit against him. The company had sued him for $1.3 billion for his claims that their voting machines were involved in election fraud. He lost a similar suit in Colorado last year when a jury awarded a former Dominion employee $2.3 million in damages for defamation.
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.