Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and prominent backer of former President Donald Trump, announced this week that he intends to privately fund a complete hand recount and audit of the ballots in Minnesota’s Republican primary for governor, despite losing the contest by roughly 11 percentage points.
Recount bid and estimated costs
In a brief phone conversation with NBC News and in a campaign news release, Lindell said he has retained his own investigators to examine the primary results and that he reached out to the Minnesota secretary of state’s office seeking an estimate for a full, statewide hand recount. The secretary of state’s general counsel, Lauren Bethke, responded in a letter estimating a hand recount and audit of the governor and lieutenant governor races would cost about $825,000.
| Item | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Full hand recount and audit (gov/lt. gov) | $825,000 |
Lindell told NBC News he expects additional expenses for his own investigative team and other actions would push the total to “upwards of $1 million,” and that he is prepared to cover that amount personally if required.
Process, timing and next steps
Under Minnesota law, candidates may request a complete hand recount even when the margin does not qualify for a state-funded recount. Because Lindell trailed by a margin far beyond the automatic recount threshold — which is triggered at 0.25% — he would need to formally request the recount and post payment or a bond to cover the estimated costs.
According to the secretary of state’s office, Bethke’s letter gives Lindell until Monday to file an official request and provide either a bond, cash or surety for the estimated $825,000. The office said it had not yet received a recount request as of Wednesday.
- Lindell has hired private investigators to examine the election data.
- He plans to deliver an official recount request in person, saying he will “personally go in there myself” to hand it over.
- He said he intends to send designated observers to each county location where recounting would occur.
Claims about machines and past legal problems
In his campaign statement, Lindell alleged his team found “irregularities” in the election-night electronic reporting data and blamed those issues on the use of electronic voting machines. He has argued in public that such findings justify a full hand count of paper ballots.
“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.”
Lindell has long promoted debunked claims that voting machines were manipulated during the 2020 presidential election. Those assertions have led to legal and financial consequences: in January a federal judge ordered Lindell to pay Smartmatic USA Corp. $56,369 after the voting machine company sued him for defamation.
Election administration perspective
Secretary of state staff provided the cost estimate based on the scope of recounting every paper ballot cast for governor and lieutenant governor across all Minnesota counties. A full hand recount would require coordination with county election officials, designated recount locations and staffing to manually tabulate ballots.
Officials have not yet confirmed where local recounting would take place in each county, a detail Lindell said he was awaiting before assigning observers. The secretary of state’s office has not publicly commented further on the substance of Lindell’s allegations beyond providing the procedural cost estimate in writing.
Political context
Lindell, who had President Trump’s endorsement in the primary, finished second to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth in the Aug. 11 Republican primary. The Associated Press called the contest for Demuth on election night. Lindell declined to concede the race at the time.
The potential recount highlights tensions within the Republican field in Minnesota and reflects ongoing national debates over election administration, the role of electronic voting equipment and the bounds of post-election challenges.
What to watch next
Key developments to monitor in the coming days include whether Lindell files a formal recount request and posts the required bond or payment, the secretary of state’s response on the logistics of county recount locations, and any public disclosures from Lindell’s investigative team about the alleged irregularities.
Until an official recount request and payment are submitted, the secretary of state’s office has indicated no formal recount process will begin.
