Mike Lindell, the 2020 election denier who convincingly lost his Minnesota gubernatorial race earlier this month, wants a recount—and claims he will pay for it.
The Trump-endorsed former CEO of MyPillow fell short by about 11 percentage points, or more than 45,000 votes, according to the Associated Press. In Minnesota, an automatic recount occurs when the margin of victory is less than 0.25 percent. Candidates outside that range can request a recount, but they have to foot the bill.
Lindell, who was reportedly late to pay about $48,000 in property taxes for last year and the first half of this year, insists he is prepared to do so.
The 65-year-old told NBC News on Wednesday that, after hearing an estimate of $825,000 from the secretary of state’s general counsel, the total amount could be “upwards of $1 million,” when factoring in the cost of hiring investigators to look into the race and other actions. For instance, Lindell said he plans on sending designated observers to recount sites.
The secretary of state’s office told NBC it hadn’t yet received a formal recount request. One must include “a bond, cash or surety” by Monday, the office told Lindell in a letter.
Lindell plans to “personally go in there myself,” he told the outlet.
Lindell, who claimed “Satan” was involved in the 2020 election, began casting doubt on his loss on election night, and in a Tuesday press release alleged “irregularities” in election data.
“Even if this recount and audit does not overturn my election for governor of Minnesota, I believe this is the gateway to getting rid of these electronic voting machines,” he said.
Lindell’s comments about voting machines in the 2020 election spurred defamation lawsuits and costly judgments.
For instance, Lindell has not paid voting machine company Smartmatic the $56,369 he owes it—let alone the daily fine of $500, which has added up to even more.
Last month, Dominion Voting Systems, which had sued Lindell for $1.3 billion, reached a “confidential settlement” with him.
In June 2025, a jury issued a $2.3 million judgment against Lindell for defaming Eric Coomer, a former director at Dominion. At the time, Lindell claimed to be several million dollars in debt. Part of the problem, he said, was Newsmax’s 2021 settlement with Coomer, who also sued the network for defamation.
That settlement “has cost MyPillow in sales over $20 million because Newsmax will never have me on to talk about MyPillow products anymore!” Lindell told Rolling Stone.
Lindell’s campaign did not immediately respond to a Daily Beast inquiry about his ability to pay for a recount.
Lindell stepped down as head of his pillow company in order to run for governor—a campaign Trump supported. Last month, the 80-year-old president praised him during a gala at his Bedminster National Golf Club in New Jersey, and in a social media post leading up to the election said he “deserved” to win.
“Nobody has worked harder, and given up so much, in fighting for free and fair elections,” he claimed.
