ST. PAUL, Minn. — The state’s Republican leadership is shuddering behind closed doors that discredited and flat-broke Mike Lindell, the MyPillow huckster, is thinking about running for governor. Among few to speak on the record has been Kelly Fenton, a former state Republican deputy chair. Fenton told the Minnesota Star Tribune that a Lindell candidacy would be a “dumpster fire.” Lindell had been a close ally of Donald Trump and prominent in Trump’s right-wing Make America Great Again movement. Now even Trump shuns Lindell for whacky conspiracy theories that have failed in court. GOP insiders acknowledge that Lindell still may have support in Minnesota’s MAGA community but not enough to win. Lindell sees it differently: “If there was someone to win, it would be me,” Lindell said. Specifically, Lindell believes he would defeat Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, who is running for re-election. The most prominent Republican to announce so far is Scott Jensen, who lost to Walz. 2022.
