Overview
- The Republican primary held Tuesday resulted in state House Speaker Lisa Demuth defeating Mike Lindell by roughly 44 percent to 32 percent, giving her the GOP nomination for governor.
- President Trump publicly endorsed Lindell in July but the endorsement did not secure victory and Lindell has refused to concede, saying his campaign will review what he called “mathematical deviations.”
- Lindell’s late July plan that would pause deportations for six months to let undocumented people apply for visas was widely labeled an amnesty by critics and is credited by allies such as Steve Bannon with costing him support among GOP primary voters.
- Lindell’s campaign was also shadowed by major legal and financial liabilities, including a 2025 Colorado defamation verdict ordering damages, an announced July settlement of a larger Dominion-related suit after a company sale, and an ongoing damages phase in the Smartmatic case.
- The result sets up a November match with Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, highlights limits to the practical power of presidential endorsements, and drew contrasting coverage with right-leaning outlets focusing on immigration as the deciding factor and left-leaning outlets emphasizing Lindell’s legal and personal troubles.