Trump Backs Lindell for Minnesota Governor as Poll Shows Widening Lead

Trump endorses MyPillow founder Mike Lindell for Minnesota governor as a new survey shows the Republican frontrunner pulling further ahead three weeks before the primary.

First Published: July 21, 2026, 7:10 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump endorsed Mike Lindell for governor of Minnesota, praising the MyPillow founder and pointing to a new poll showing the Republican pulling further ahead of his rivals.

Lindell, the MyPillow chief executive and a prominent promoter of false claims about the 2020 election, leads the Republican primary field with 35% support, up 8 points from the previous month after gaining Trump’s backing, according to kstp.com. He sits 9 points ahead of House Speaker Lisa Demuth, while GOP-endorsed candidate Kendall Qualls has fallen to third at 11%.

Here is the full post on Truth Social: “Mike Lindell would be a GREAT Governor. He loves Minnesota with all of his heart. President DJT KSTP/SurveyUSA poll: Lindell, Tafoya increase their leads; Craig, Ellison margins shrink:” Trump wrote, by mentioning the source (see kstp), on July 21, 2026 at 10:59 PM ET.

This is the first message released by Trump today. On average, Trump produces about 15 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025.

The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 95 of his 470 posts over the last 30 days focused on elections.

The endorsement raises the stakes in a race that is now three weeks from the primary. Lindell benefits directly from Trump’s support, which the poll credits with an 8-point jump, including gains of 9 points among women and 17 points among voters 65 and older, according to kstp.com. Demuth and Qualls stand to lose ground, with Qualls dropping 9 points among women and 10 points among parents over the same period.

The same KSTP/SurveyUSA survey found former sportscaster Michele Tafoya extending her lead in the Republican U.S. Senate primary to 41%, up 5 points, according to kstp.com. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Senate contest between four-term Congresswoman Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan tightened to a tie at 40% apiece, with roughly 16% of DFL primary voters undecided.

For the average Minnesota voter, the governor’s race will determine control of the state’s executive branch and shape decisions on taxes, education, and public safety. A Lindell victory in the primary would set up a general-election contest testing whether a Trump-aligned candidate best known for election claims can win statewide in a state that has not backed a Republican for president since 1972.

This has happened before. Trump has repeatedly intervened in Republican primaries to lift preferred candidates, and his endorsements have often shifted polling in crowded fields. The 8-point swing recorded after his backing of Lindell mirrors the boost other Trump-endorsed contenders have seen in early primary surveys.

Minnesota voters will make the next decision at the primary election, roughly three weeks after the poll’s release in late July 2026, according to kstp.com. The results will decide whether Lindell advances to the November general election.

Outsider businessmen turning celebrity into statewide campaigns is not new to Minnesota politics. In 1998, professional wrestler Jesse Ventura won the Minnesota governorship as a third-party candidate, stunning both major parties and drawing national attention to the state’s independent streak, according to britannica.com. Ventura served a single term and did not seek reelection, a reminder that celebrity candidacies in Minnesota can win office yet struggle to convert momentum into lasting power.