Demuth’s primary win stands; Lindell vows U.S. Supreme Court appeal
The Minnesota Supreme Court on Saturday rejected My Pillow founder Mike Lindell’s requests for a recount in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary, ending his formal effort to overturn Lisa Demuth’s 45,000-vote margin of victory. Chief Justice Natalie Hudson wrote the court’s order, finding that Lindell had neither paid the $825,000 cost of the recount nor met an Aug. 24 procedural deadline to demonstrate he could.
Hudson wrote that Lindell declined to pay the required recount fee and missed the Aug. 24 deadline to provide assurances he could cover the cost. Under Minnesota’s recount procedure, the expense fell to the requesting candidate.
Hudson’s decision upholds the result of the Republican primary held earlier this month and leaves Demuth as the party’s nominee for governor. She finished with 45,000 more votes than Lindell.
Lindell told NBC News he would appeal Hudson’s ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. He did not provide additional comment Saturday.
The ruling is the latest turn in a primary challenge that began the day of the vote. On Aug. 12, Lindell held a news conference in which he questioned the primary’s results, telling reporters there were “deviations [that] came right at the end.” He said at the time that he would pay for a recount himself.
Lindell later said the recount process was illegal and paused the payments he had pledged. Hudson’s Saturday order addresses the Aug. 24 deadline that came after that reversal.
Officials administering the primary have given no public indications that the results contained any irregularity or fraud. No evidence of the deviations Lindell cited at his Aug. 12 news conference has been produced.
Lindell’s loss to Demuth was followed within hours by his refusal to concede.