Mike Lindell Holds Back $825,000 Recount Fee Over Disputed Scope in Minnesota GOP Primary

Mike Lindell announced that his campaign will not deliver the $825,000 payment needed to trigger a recount and audit of the Republican primary for Minnesota governor, claiming the Secretary of State’s office proposed an unlawful approach. While Lindell finished second to Scott Demuth, his team had the money prepared but is withholding it because officials plan to recount solely the votes for Lindell and Demuth, leaving out other contenders.

The campaign says this selective recount conflicts with Minnesota law, which defines a recount as determining the total number of valid votes for the contested office. Lindell has requested that the payment deadline be postponed until a court decides on the recount parameters. Secretary of State General Counsel Lauren Bethke set the original deadline, and spokesperson Cassondra Knudson defended the plan as consistent with state statutes and two decades of precedent.

The contingency plan, approved by the State Canvassing Board on August 18, designates Paul Linnell as the state recount official and calls for a public, media-accessible hand count. No evidence of fraud has been found in the primary results, where Demuth received 179,683 votes and Lindell 134,282.