Staff Reports
Mike Lindell just went from late-entry curiosity to the front-runner in Minnesota’s Republican primary. A new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll shows the MyPillow CEO climbing to 35 percent support in the GOP governor race — a jump that tracked closely with President Trump’s public endorsement. If you needed proof that the former president still moves Republican voters, here it is in black-and-white numbers.
Trump’s endorsement nudged Lindell — and the poll shows it
The KSTP/SurveyUSA poll of 478 likely Republican voters (credibility interval roughly ±5.4 points) found Lindell at 35 percent, up about eight points from last month. House Speaker Lisa Demuth trailed at 26 percent and the state GOP’s endorsed candidate, Kendall Qualls, was at 11 percent. KSTP noted the gains among key groups: Lindell rose nine points with women and a whopping 17 points with voters 65 and older. Those are real moves, and they came after President Trump publicly declared his “complete and total endorsement” of Lindell — praise that clearly resonated with Republican voters.
State GOP vs. national influence: a brewing rift
Here’s the awkward part for Minnesota GOP insiders: the state party backed Kendall Qualls at its convention, but the national megaphone carried weight. The split highlights a larger tension — the party establishment’s choice versus the candidate Trump favors. That’s not just an intra-party squabble; it shapes messaging, turnout and who gets the donor checks. If you’re betting on a conventional campaign playbook winning the primary, you might be underestimating how much a presidential nod still matters to conservative voters on the ground.
Why this matters for the general election
With Gov. Tim Walz off the ballot and Sen. Amy Klobuchar running hard on the Democratic side, the GOP nominee will face a high-profile November fight. Lindell’s national name recognition and his standing as a committed election-integrity crusader make him a magnetic figure for the base — and a polarizing one for moderates. That could be good for turnout, or risky in a statewide general election. Remember: the poll also shows 28 percent undecided and a margin of error that tempers how dramatic this move really is. Momentum is real, but it isn’t destiny.
Bottom line
President Trump’s endorsement turned a regional primary into a national story and pushed Mike Lindell from fringe contender to apparent front-runner. Minnesota Republicans now face a choice between the state-party pick and the candidate carrying national momentum. For conservatives who want a strong GOP comeback in Minnesota, this poll should be a wake-up call: endorsements still matter, voters pay attention, and the party needs to unite behind the winner — whoever that turns out to be — if it hopes to win in November. If nothing else, the pillow salesman just reminded the GOP that name recognition and a heavyweight endorsement are a powerful political mattress.
