MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell announces a campaign for Minnesota governor

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a longtime backer of President Donald Trump who spread debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, announced Thursday that he’ll run for governor in Minnesota next year.

“Those who know me know I’m up to the task,” Lindell said during a speech delivered on his eponymous platform Thursday morning.

Lindell has for weeks hinted that he could jump into the race soon, telling the Minnesota Star Tribune last week when he filed campaign paperwork that he would make a final decision by Thursday.

Lindell in recent years has faced legal scrutiny for his actions following the 2020 presidential election, when he promoted debunked allegations the election was plagued with voter fraud and that Trump should have been declared the victor.

A federal jury in Colorado in June found that Lindell had defamed a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems, a voting equipment company. Dominion and Smartmatic, another voting system company, have accused Lindell of defamation in two separate lawsuits.

Lindell is joining a crowded field running for the Republican nomination for governor of Minnesota. Already, state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, Minneapolis attorney Chris Madel, Republican state Rep. Kristin Robbins and Scott Jensen, the 2022 GOP nominee, have launched campaigns.

They’re all jockeying for the chance to face Gov. Tim Walz, last year’s Democratic vice presidential nominee, as he seeks a third term as governor.

Walz and his allies began to attack Lindell days before he officially launched his campaign.

Hours after news broke of Lindell’s decision to file campaign paperwork last week, Walz’s campaign launched an email fundraising campaign featuring an exchange with former Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Trump loyalist and election denier Mike Lindell just jumped into the race against me for Governor of Minnesota,” Walz wrote in the fundraising email.

In his speech Thursday, Lindell attacked Walz multiple times for a fraud scandal that has engulfed his state this year. Federal prosecutors have alleged that dozens of people in the state stole hundreds of millions of dollars from pandemic-era welfare programs in the state.

“I will stand for you against the rampant fraud under Governor Walz. I will stand for you against crime and threats to the safety of your family,” Lindell said.

“Families have been taken advantage of, and others have not been taken care of,” he added later in his speech.

Lindell pointed to his experience “micro-managing” and “macro-managing” his company, MyPillow, as an argument in favor of his campaign.

“The governor is the chief executive of the state. He is responsible for the integrity of government operations under his authority,” the CEO said.

Walz has defended his leadership of the state amid attacks from Trump and Republicans in Congress over the fraud scandal, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” late last month, “We’ll put folks in jail. I don’t care what your nationality is. I don’t care what your religion is, your color, if you’re committing crimes.”