Mike Lindell launches Minnesota governor bid with vow to target Walz over ‘rampant fraud’ as scandal widens

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President Donald Trump's ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell launched a Republican campaign for Minnesota governor on Thursday.

Lindell jumps into the gubernatorial race as the Trump administration and the House Oversight Committee have launched investigations into Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's alleged role in what investigators are calling the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country.

"I will stand for you as the next governor of the state of Minnesota. I will stand up for you against the rampant fraud under Gov. Governor Walz," Lindell said while launching his campaign on "Steve Bannon's War Room" on Lindell's streaming platform. 

Chief among Lindell's campaign commitments is to "stop the fraud" in Minnesota, followed by his promise to continue deporting illegal immigrants, stop "exploding" property taxes, reform public education, cut fees and taxes, address addiction, improve public safety and secure elections.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MINNESOTA’S ‘FEEDING OUR FUTURE’ FRAUD AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S LATEST CRACKDOWN

Mike Lindell walks into a federal district court for a defamation trial, on June 5, 2025, in Denver, Colorado.  (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)

"Minnesota deserves a governor who will stand against all fraud, and will go after anyone who steals our tax dollars. No one is above the law," Lindell said on his freshly launched campaign website.

‘SCHEMES STACKED UPON SCHEMES’: $1B PUBLIC BENEFITS FRAUD FUELS SCRUTINY OF MINNESOTA’S SOMALI COMMUNITY

Democrats, however, are gearing up to defeat hhim.

"Mike Lindell is the latest extreme, out of touch candidate to jump into what is becoming a more chaotic and dangerous race to the far-right by the day — and his entrance into the race is a bitter pill-ow for Minnesota Republicans to swallow," said Democratic Governors Association Spokesperson Izzi Levy in a statement shortly after Lindell filed paperwork to run for governor.

Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., is at the center of a widening scandal as federal prosecutors continue to unravel one of the nation’s largest COVID-era fraud cases. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

"Minnesotans can rest easy that we're going to put to bed any dreams Lindell has of bringing his extreme agenda to the governor's office."

Lindell faced a slew of legal scrutiny for falsely claiming that Trump won the 2020 presidential election. Earlier this year, a federal jury in Colorado found Lindell liable for defamation and ordered him to pay millions in damages to a former Dominion Voting Systems employee. 

The Republican joins a crowded primary field of candidates vying for the chance to challenge Walz next year, including Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, 2022 Republican nominee Scott Jensen and state Rep. Kristin Robbins. 

Lisa Demuth, a Republican state representative from Cold Spring, Minnesota, was the House Speaker in the 2025 session.  (Glen Stubbe/TNS/ABACA via Reuters Connect)

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Walz is running for a third term as Minnesota governor next year. He was tapped as former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate last year, ushering his notoriety onto the national political stage. 

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.