President Trump throws his support behind MyPillow founder Mike Lindell in Minnesota governor's race

In a truth social post Wednesday morning, the president wrote that Lindell will bring Minnesota back from "oblivion and embarrassment," adding "nobody has sacrificed more than Mike Lindell in fighting for our country."

In May, Kendall Qualls won the GOP endorsement for governor. Qualls and House Speaker Lisa Demuth have been neck-and-neck through straw polls and other polling so far, with Lindell well back.

But Lindell has also been a fervent supporter of Mr. Trump, and has also been a frequent 2020 election denier.

In a truth social post Wednesday morning, the president wrote that Lindell will bring Minnesota back from "oblivion and embarrassment," adding "nobody has sacrificed more than Mike Lindell in fighting for our country."

Lindell did respond, also on social media: "Thank you, Mr. President! I truly appreciate your confidence in me as I run to become the next Governor of Minnesota."

"This endorsement is significant for Lindell," says WCCO Political Analyst Blois Olson. "He obviously is close to the president, has been extremely loyal to the president. I think the other campaigns were hoping that the president endorsed them or that he stayed out of the race."

In May, Kendall Qualls won the GOP endorsement for governor. But House Speaker Lisa Demuth said she was remaining in the race through the state primary after the state convention in June was beset by technology issues, and it led to questions about the nominating process.

Qualls and Demuth have been neck-and-neck through straw polls and other polling so far, with Lindell well back. Republicans have not won a statewide race in the state since Gov. Tim Pawlenty won a second term in 2006. Olson says an endorsement of Lindell won't make breaking that streak easier.

"I've talked about the fact that there is a large contingency of Republicans who want to break the endorsement cycle," Olson explains. "I think they also want to be competitive in November. And you know, when you look at Lindell and his profile in a midterm with an unpopular president in Minnesota, it's going to be hard for him to raise the money necessary, and it might hurt Republicans up and down the ticket if he's not seen as a serious candidate."

But Lindell has also been a fervent supporter of Mr. Trump, and has also been a frequent 2020 election denier. Now, the president is giving formal backing to a fellow election denier a day before the Republican delivers a national address he says will focus on election security.

Olson thinks this is a plus for Lindell in the race, and definitely is a minus for the other two candidates.

"Clearly Lisa Demuth has had the strongest campaign in fundraising. She very came very close to winning the endorsement," Olson adds. "She has outside money supporting her, so any momentum away from Demuth, it's going to hurt her more right now. Kendall Qualls has struggled to raise money, he's had many unforced errors, and so you could argue that his campaign had already stumbled a couple times. This will maybe consolidate the more MAGA members of the party towards Lindell, and make it more of a two-way race. But it's going to give Lindell a bump."

Lindell established his national profile from his TV advertising campaign as the MyPillow Guy and has been one of Trump’s biggest supporters, echoing the president’s false claims that his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden was fraudulent.

“Mike will be SPECTACULAR!!! He truly loves Minnesota, as do I, and wants to bring it back from oblivion and embarrassment. He can do it!” Trump wrote Wednesday, referring to Lindell as “the ‘Pillow Man.’

Trump has hammered outgoing Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats’ 2024 vice presidential nominee, as incompetent and accused his administration of allowing rampant fraud in federal spending on childcare. Trump has also employed racist rhetoric to target Minnesota’s Somali immigrant population as driving the alleged fraud. Walz disputes the Trump administration’s characterizations.

Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar is the DFL's choice to run for governor, and won the party endorsement at that state convention.

"I know that Democrats are salivating," Olson adds. "They are cheering the idea that Lindell has the president's endorsement because they know that in the general election for governor, that Lindell and Trump will not be as popular or as competitive as maybe a Lisa Demuth."