Full Breakdown
Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Mike Lindell’s Full-Recount Request
8/30/2026, 8:17:50 AM
Court Rejects Lindell’s Recount Request
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the state’s existing recount plan complies with law, rejecting MyPillow founder Mike Lindell’s bid to order a full hand recount of all ballots cast in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Chief Justice Natalie E. Lindell said he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and is seeking election data from all counties via a Freedom of Information Act request.
Background: Lindell’s Election Claims and Legal Troubles
Lindell has long contested the 2020 presidential result and now refuses to accept his loss to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth in the GOP primary. He previously pledged roughly $825,000 for a full recount but withdrew the offer after learning the plan would count only ballots for the two leading candidates. His broader legal history includes a 2025 defamation judgment involving Dominion Voting Systems and unpaid sanctions from a separate case with Smartmatic USA Corp.
Official Statements & Court Rationale
The Secretary of State’s office affirmed that the contingent recount plan, approved in mid-August, follows state law and prior recount procedures. The plan calls for ballots to be sorted by primary (Democratic vs. Justice Hudson emphasized that the purpose of a manual recount is not to serve as an election contest.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I’m willing to pay even more money. I don’t care what it costs,” — Mike Lindell, MyPillow founder.
- “But Lindell’s focus on alleged anomalies confuses the purpose of a manual recount with an election contest,” — Justice Natalie E. Hudson.
- “In other words, after all votes are sorted and counted, Lindell would know whether he is the winner over Demuth,” — Justice Natalie E. Hudson.
