Lindell Withholds $825,000 Payment In Minnesota GOP Recount Dispute
On Monday, August 24, 2026, Mike Lindell declined to submit the $825,000 payment required to trigger a discretionary recount in Minnesota's Republican gubernatorial primary.[1]
Lindell's campaign says the Secretary of State's contingency plan would recount only votes for Lindell and front-runner Lisa Demuth, excluding other Republican candidates, and that approach violates Minnesota recount law.[1] The Secretary of State's office says the contingency plan was approved by the State Canvassing Board on August 18.[1] It says the plan follows state law and mirrors procedures used in Minnesota recounts for roughly two decades.[1] Lindell has asked a court to waive the $825,000 payment deadline while the dispute is resolved.[1] Unofficial primary totals show Lisa Demuth with 179,683 votes and Mike Lindell with 134,282, and state officials say they found no fraud or irregularity in the count.[1]
Minnesota law requires an apparent losing candidate to request and fund a discretionary recount within five days of the canvass.[1] Because Lindell trailed Demuth in the unofficial results, his refusal to post the $825,000 leaves the recount in limbo until courts decide whether the payment deadline should be waived.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Monday, August 24, 2026, Mike Lindell declined to submit the $825,000 payment required to trigger a discretionary recount in Minnesota's Republican gubernatorial primary.
- Lindell's campaign objects that the Secretary of State's contingency plan would recount only votes for Lindell and Lisa Demuth, excluding other GOP candidates, and claims this violates Minnesota recount law.
- The Secretary of State's office says the plan was approved by the State Canvassing Board on August 18, follows state law and rules, and mirrors recount procedures used over the past two decades.
- Minnesota law requires an apparent losing candidate to request and fund a discretionary recount within five days of the canvass; Lindell is asking for the payment deadline to be waived pending a court ruling.
- Unofficial primary results show Lisa Demuth with 179,683 votes and Mike Lindell with 134,282, and officials report no findings of fraud or irregularity in the count.
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