MyPillow founder Mike Lindell says he is prepared to spend as much as $1 million pursuing a recount of the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary after losing the contest by 11 percentage points.
Lindell, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, told NBC News on Wednesday that he plans to fund a full hand recount of his Aug. 11 primary loss to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.
Following the election, Lindell contacted the Minnesota secretary of state’s office to determine how much a statewide recount would cost. General counsel Lauren Bethke estimated the price at approximately $825,000 in a letter sent Tuesday, according to NBC News.
Lindell said his ultimate expenses could be considerably higher once additional costs are included.
He told NBC News the recount effort could cost “upwards of $1 million” after factoring in his own investigative team and other expenses.
As of Wednesday, the secretary of state’s office said it had not received an official recount request from Lindell. He has until Monday to submit the request along with “a bond, cash or surety” sufficient to cover the estimated expense.
Lindell said he intends to personally deliver the necessary paperwork Monday.
He also plans to send observers to recount locations throughout Minnesota as ballots are reviewed.
Trump endorsed Lindell in the race, but the MyPillow founder refused to concede on election night as results showed Demuth moving toward a decisive victory.
“I’m down by 20,000 votes with 277,000 votes left to count,” Lindell said that night. “Now, would you give up if you got 277,000 left to count?”
Since then, Lindell has claimed that his team discovered “irregularities” in election data. He has also connected the recount effort to his longstanding campaign against the use of electronic voting machines.
“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 said in a Tuesday press release.
Lindell has repeatedly promoted false claims involving voting machines and the 2020 presidential election, resulting in costly defamation litigation.
In January, a federal judge ordered Lindell to pay Smartmatic USA Corp. $56,369 in sanctions. An additional $500-per-day fine was imposed after Lindell refused to pay.
NBC News reported that Lindell’s attorneys maintained Wednesday that he still does not intend to pay those fees.
His attorneys cited documents Trump released following a July primetime address centered on baseless voter fraud claims. According to NBC News, those documents did not provide evidence supporting Lindell’s assertions.
Lindell, meanwhile, is moving ahead with his recount effort despite the significant financial price tag, with Monday serving as the deadline for him to formally submit his request and cover the estimated cost.
